Earning respect across the aisle: Adrian Fontes on doing the job right
“I have my duty and I have my opinion, and they’re very different things.” Adrian Fontes says doing his job means keeping his politics out of his official decisions — even when that could create an opening for a challenger. His example: When No Labels wanted to change its name, he says his response was “fine,” despite being told the move could help an independent run against him. “I’m doing my job.”
Fontes says that approach has earned him respect across the aisle.
“We’ve got a lot of friends … on the political right,” he says, crediting his Marine Corps service and a direct style. “They like the fact that I’m just going to tell it like it is.”
For Fontes, the distinction comes down to one line: “I don’t let my opinion get in the way of my duty.”
