With her youngest daughter now a freshman at UCSD, Carrie Downey decided to advance her own education. She enrolled in a doctoral program in public policy and political science at Claremont Graduate University. This would be her fifth post-secondary school degree. She already has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Bryant University, Juris Doctorate from Catholic University and Master of Laws from the University of San Diego. At 51 another degree might seem superfluous.
It’s not adding another diploma to her wall that motivates Downey. It’s the opportunity to delve deeper into how policy is made. Downey knows a thing or two about public policy. For the past 20 years she has either been setting, or adhering to, public policies in one form or another – be it federal environmental laws as a Navy JAG or city building codes as a city council woman. “I’m interested in how policy is made here and in finding ways to make the process better,” she said.
While the topic fascinates, the implementation often frustrates her. “The way the process works, it can take up to two years for a policy to be implemented; then at the last minute a group of people come forward and shuttle the whole project,” Downey said. To her it’s a waste of time and money and she’d like to figure out a way to prevent it.
Not that she objects to citizen involvement, quite the opposite. She loves that people are interested in their community and participate in the process. She has long striven to make it easy for the average citizen to become involved. She lobbied to put the council agenda online and to change the city council meeting time so that more people could attend. She wishes that they would get involved at the beginning and be motivated more by community spirit than self-interest. “I hate NIMBYism,” she said.
By studying the problem in an academic setting, she hopes to find a solution. Short of solving the policymaking riddle that vexes her, Downey knows the added insight will make her a better councilwoman. The degree could also open the door to a second career.
“I could see myself at a think tank or an aide to a legislative committee in Sacramento,” she said. Teaching is also a possibility. For the past nine years, she has taught an energy law and police class at USD.
She still has time to decide. Typically, a PhD program takes four years to complete, even longer for a part-time student. Downey has a law practice and city council duties that prevent her from attending full time. At this point she thinks it will take her nine years to finish.
Going back to school after 17 years has not proved difficult. “I love the reading and discussions with my class,” she said. That the class is led by an attorney who worked for Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush brings a real world sensibility to those discussions. “The toughest part has been the long commute,” she said. It takes four hours to and from the Los Angeles County campus. She fills her time listening to NPR or podcasts. Her current favorite is Make Me Smart, an ongoing discussion about the economy, technology and culture and how each impacts our daily lives, presented by one of the hosts of Marketplace. Again having hours to spare, Downey spends it by trying to learn more about the world around her.
