An Election Won, Now It's Time to Start Working

By Desiree Parker Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Scott Foster, Williamsburg’s youngest city council member, has faced many unknowns this year: graduating college, planning an election, figuring out how to be an elected official. Now he has a new challenge to face: finding a job.

Foster talked to WYDaily about his future plans and how he’s supporting himself with no job other than city councilman and still no certainty over whether he’ll get into law school at William and Mary in the fall of 2011.

Right now he’s taking a test preparation class to get ready for law school entrance exams, which he aims to take in October. Foster says he’s “in a holding pattern” this summer when it comes to planning for the future.

Foster has been applying for internships, most recently for one with a company in Richmond. He’d like to get an internship with a law office, but he’s “trying to be as selective as possible ... and keep outside Williamsburg to stay as objective as possible.” He is concerned that getting an internship at a local law firm might tarnish his objectivity when it comes to making decisions on council.

Once he completes his test he’ll start “looking a little harder for an internship position. It’s a tough time, especially for [getting] internships.”

As far as looking for paid work, Foster hasn’t applied for any jobs but might look for something part-time soon, he says, maybe at a local restaurant or doing residential painting jobs.

He’s renting a small apartment and living off his savings from high school jobs doing farm work and as a part-time painter. His budget is similar to what he had to work with as a student, and he’s very frugal, he says.

His expenses include rent for the in-law suite he lives in now and his truck, which is paid for.

Foster doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to get just any position. “My parents have encouraged me to be very selective with jobs and take my time,” he says.

In the midst of starting his life as a college graduate, Foster has also been working on meeting people in the community and taking on the role of councilman. He has had numerous calls from businesspeople and citizens representing organizations in the area, and says he’s been able to arrange to talk to all the folks who have reached out to him.

Foster isn’t the only councilperson to have to look for work. After leading the committee charged with organizing the 2007 celebration in the city, former Mayor Jeanne Zeidler also found herself without a job outside council until she began her newest role leading the Williamsburg Community Health Foundation.