Pursuing a career in public service

Since he was 10 years old, Tim Herbst ’02 has planned to take his love for politics “all the way.” Since then, the Trinity College student government association president and Trumbull, CT, elected official has elevated the childhood phrase “I want to be president,” to a full-time commitment to public service that has already earned the 21 year-old a track record of success that belies his years.

Herbst first became involved in Trumbull town politics in high school when he lead the youth campaign for Republican Kenneth Halaby’s 1997 run for first selectman. While Halaby fell short in the election by a mere 600 votes, this partnership would lead to another opportunity for Herbst in the months to follow.

During his first year at Trinity, Herbst was asked by Halaby, then chairman of the planning and zoning commission, to be an alternate on the commission. When Halaby’s seat on the commission became vacant in July of that year, Herbst left the relative comfort of a summer lifeguarding job and took to the streets of Trumbull, campaigning door-to-door six hours a day, seven days a week. Once classes began that September, Herbst, a registered Republican, continued his rigorous campaign on weekends, waking up at 6 a.m., so he could put in a full day of campaigning in Trumbull.

“By the time of the election, I had knocked on 8,000 doors. In Trumbull there are 12,000 homes,” Herbst says. While his commitment to the campaign was formidable, Herbst says his age and experience remained an issue to many in the town.

“Everyone thought it was a big joke, because I was running against a guy who was 38 years old, a town council member, and a multi-millionaire developer,” Herbst says. “Everyone said ‘you’re going to get killed.’”

An election upset

To his surprise, and to the surprise of many in Trumbull, Herbst carried the election with 62 percent of the vote “I think people were shocked at how much I won by. I was shocked,” Herbst says. “I couldn’t believe how many people I saw at the polling stations that I met earlier at their door.”

Herbst, who claims the average age of the commission’s members dropped from 65 to 44 years old upon his election, attends monthly meetings in his hometown. “I drive in for the meetings, drop my laundry off at home, have dinner, go to the meeting, pick up the laundry and come back to school.”

On campus, Herbst is no less involved in politics, having recently been elected president of the student government association—a seat he refers to as “a full-time job.” Despite having one election already under his belt, Herbst says the race for student government association president was a hard-fought victory against his opponent, College Democrats President David Alexander ’03.

“It was a very competitive race,” Herbst says. “Win or lose, we gave students at Trinity a choice, we made it exciting, and I think we encouraged students to get involved, ask questions, and vote.” Herbst says that Trinity’s increasingly active student body yielded spirited audiences at town hall meetings and throughout the campaign.

“The longer I’ve been here, the more I’ve seen the scope and the caliber of the student body change,” Herbst says. “Students at Trinity are more engaged now—more politically active—and if they’re not politically active, they’re very educated and aware of what’s going on around them.”

Contributing real-world experience to the classroom 

Adrienne Fulco, associate professor of legal studies, is Herbst’s adviser in the political science major and the faculty member Herbst credits with teaching him to appreciate the other side of arguments related to topics such as abortion and affirmative action. 

“He’s a very politically active, involved, and engaged young man,” Fulco says. “He’s extremely well-informed. He can pull things together and make connections because this is such a genuine area of interest for him.” Fulco says Herbst’s real-world experience is a valuable addition to the classroom. “He’s had the kind of experiences that you often only hear of from IDP students or graduate students in the public policy program,” she says.

Herbst plans to write a thesis on the topic of campaign finance reform—a subject of obvious significance to the up-and-coming politician.

“I think that both parties are guilty of a lot of talk and very little action. We need to control the money that’s brought into the process,” Herbst says. “At the same time, we have to be careful not to infringe upon freedom of speech and freedom of expression because we get into a gray area when we try to limit how much people can spend for a cause they believe in.” Herbst notes that he does not, however, support public funding of campaigns. “I don’t think your tax money or anyone else’s tax money should fund a candidate or a cause they completely disagree with,” he says.

Herbst recently assisted Director of Campus Life Amy Howard with a proposal that led to the introduction of the new leadership development suite in the Elton residence hall. Herbst says this is an important facility to make the services of the student government association more responsive to students’ needs.

“It’s important, because even if students don’t come, you have to make sure you provide that accessibility if you’re a student government leader,” he says. “I’ve found that a lot of students know about it, have been calling us there, and stopping in on us there with any questions they may have.”

While Herbst says “the jury is still out” as to what he plans to do after Trinity, he may pursue enrollment in law school, run for the state legislature, or work for an elected official in Washington, D.C. Regardless of what path he takes, Herbst is confident he will pursue a career in public service.

“Like my dad says to me, ‘Politics is a crap shoot. A door opens—an opportunity arises—you have to go for it,’” Herbst says.

–Michael Bradley