“I always thought I would return to journalism,” says Marcia Mejia.
BY CHANEL WILLIAMS
NNB Student Reporter
TAMPA – Behind a stack of newspapers piled high on the desk is a petite woman gazing at a computer screen. Her long, dark-brown hair is placed behind her ear so she can hear news reports from Bay News 9 on her small TV. The only other sound in the room is the clicking of the keyboard as she types.
“It’s my responsibility to ensure that the community is educated on the congresswoman’s agenda and policies,” said Marcia Mejia, 34, the press secretary for Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat who represents Florida’s 14th Congressional District.
The district covers a swath of Hillsborough County from Tampa’s Town ‘n’ Country neighborhood to Sun City Center plus the southeastern portion of St. Petersburg. Castor, first elected in 2006, is serving her fifth term. She is the first woman to represent Hillsborough and Pinellas in Congress.
It’s a slow day at the office for Mejia because of the Thanksgiving holidays. She just finished organizing a press conference for the opening of a business center for female entrepreneurs that is named for Helen Gordon Davis, who served nearly two decades in the Florida Legislature.
Now she is finalizing details for Castor’s role in honoring John Wilson, who is retiring after 50 years in TV broadcasting, the last 33 in Tampa Bay. The congresswoman will be one of the bay area leaders to appear in a video tribute to Wilson on Fox 13 News, and she will enter a tribute to Wilson in the Congressional Record.
Mejia plays a leading role in managing Castor’s social media. She uploads articles and invitations to community events and maintains engagements among constituents. It is her responsibility to monitor newspapers for coverage of the congresswoman and issues she supports, such as immigration reform.
Mejia grew up in Tampa but moved to Orlando for college. While finishing bachelor’s degrees in both political science and journalism at the University of Central Florida, she began a countrywide job hunt.
“I applied everywhere,” she said. “I was ready to move wherever I was offered a job.”
The hundreds of applications led to an offer to become a reporter for a small Kansas newspaper, the Dodge City Daily Globe. But the job was put on hold because her father was terminally ill. She moved back to Tampa to help take care of him and became a clerk in the Hillsborough County supervisor of elections office.
It would be the first in a series of positions that Mejia would hold in government communications.
“It was supposed to be temporary; I always thought I would return to journalism,” Mejia said.
After a year, Mejia became a public information officer at Tampa International Airport. She was there for only a few months before becoming a public information representative for Hillsborough County in 2003.
In three years, she was promoted to community relations coordinator. Mejia was responsible for writing speeches for elected officials, working with county departments to disseminate positive information via media, and coordinating large-scale events such as ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
In 2010, Mejia joined the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) as a public information officer, a positive she held for three years before deciding to move on.
“I was a small fish in a big pond at HART,” she said. “There were no advancements because of the poor economy at the time, and I needed something new.”
In 2013, the press secretary position for Castor came open. Mejia saw the opportunity as perfect timing.
“I had seen her (Castor) around at different community events, so it helped when I applied because I was a familiar face,” she said. Mejia was hired in January 2013.
“She is great and we are blessed to have her,” said Chloe Coney, Castor’s district director.
Mejia’s Colombian heritage is beneficial at the office because she is able to translate for non-English constituents who seek assistance. But Mejia is not the only staff member fluent in Spanish. Tanya Fernandez and Terry Sanchez assist with constituents facing immigrations issues.
Castor’s district office also features Thomas Gay, who assists with veterans; Vito Sheeley, the staff outreach director; staff assistant Wendy Hamilton; and deputy district director Julie Fitzpatrick.
Mejia was four months pregnant when she began working at the congresswoman’s district office. “It’s a challenge being a new mom, but having my husband work from home makes it much easier for me,” Mejia said.
Mejia’s hours extend beyond 9 to 5. When she wakes up in the morning, the first thing she does is check the newspapers to see if there is any coverage of the congresswoman.
“I’m coming up on my two-year anniversary,” she said. “Working here is my dream job.”