The ASU Downtown Phoenix campus has been home to the district office of Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., for more than a decade. There, Pastor, who recently announced his retirement after 23 years in the House of Representatives, exposed students and the community to opportunities for involvement with politics.
Pastor’s office moved to its current location in the ASU University Center building from a law office located at Third Avenue and Moreland Street, according to press secretary Maura Cordova.
The building site was chosen because of increased access from public transportation and the availability of parking, Pastor said. The UCENT is across the street from the Van Buren Street and Central Avenue light rail stop.
“We decided to go into that building because of the bus stop across the street and convenience of parking at one time … and because we were downtown,” Pastor said.
Eventually, ASU and the city of Phoenix would come to occupy the building, and they allowed Pastor to remain in the space, he said.
“I was a tenant for another landlord, and then the city of Phoenix bought the building, and then they made the arrangements for ASU to take over the building,” Pastor said.
The Phoenix office’s main goal is to serve the constituents and provide them with assistance and services for handling problems with federal agencies, in contrast to the office in Washington, D.C., which is made up of legislative staff, Cordova said.
Having his district office located on the campus also allowed Pastor the opportunity to interact better with students, he said.
“We could be of service to the students if they had any particular problems, number one,” Pastor said. “Secondly, because we were there at (the) ASU campus, then I was more accessible to some of the classes, which I’ve gone and participated in.”
Being available to the school and the students also supported Pastor’s longtime mission of promoting education, he said.
“With the students, I mean, just being here has been sort of a natural fit for the congressman because he is such an advocate for education and higher education,” Cordova said.
When ASU took over the building, the services Pastor could offer did not change, but it provided more chances to “interact with each other” within the school community, he said.
“I think we’re there to help out directly, more directly students who may need help with their government, or we can be a catalyst or a resource for learning experiences,” Pastor said. “I am very happy to be on campus.”
As an ASU alumnus, Pastor could also serve as an inspiration to the students, Cordova said.
“I think it’s been nice for (students) to see that he is here in the building and for young people to see … he is also an ASU alum, so for them to see what an ASU graduate is capable of,” Cordova said.
Having an office on campus has also brought more attention to the internship opportunities available to students from all schools offered through his office, Cordova said.
Mayra Gutierrez, an ASU political science junior, is in her first semester as an intern in Pastor’s district office.
Gutierrez was attending Central Arizona College and participating in the Student Public Policy Forum, a group that promotes higher education, when she met Pastor in Washington, D.C., she said.
There, he introduced her to the idea of an internship, she said. She decided to apply for the downtown Phoenix office.
Interning on the Downtown campus has provided Gutierrez some benefits when it comes to transportation and convenience of getting to the office, she said.
“I am a Tempe student, so I take the shuttle here, and then it’s so easy,” she said.
The location of the office is convenient for community members looking for assistance from Pastor and other students, especially those who might want to pursue an interest in politics, Gutierrez said.
“The young community, college students, it’s definitely more convenient for them, especially for the internship program that they have here at the congressional office,” Gutierrez said. “As for the community, I would say it’s convenient because it’s right across the street from the light rail. There’s a lot of access points that you can get here.”
Pastor announced his retirement in late February, leaving some to wonder what will happen to his office.
His 23-year term will come to an official end in January 2015. The next representative will choose his or her own office location, which may not necessarily be at the same site, according to Cordova.
“Every member of Congress gets to choose where they want to have their office, so our office will be closing, and then whoever is elected to replace him would find their own office space,” Cordova said. “So it’s up to them whether or not they would try to negotiate a lease here with ASU.”
Until then, the office will remain open to assist with any problems that may arise for the community, Cordova said.
“The congressman has really appreciated the university allowing him to have his office here and letting us lease here,” Cordova said. “We’re going to miss ASU.”
Contact the reporter at emily.achondo@asu.edu.
