Albright College Young Alumni Profile

Chris Kanezo '05 s he entered the room where members of the Reading, Pa., city council were gathered to formulate the city budget, deputy city clerk Chris Kanezo ’05 felt confident. He knew what to expect, since he had learned all about the budgetary process in readings assigned for his public administration and economics classes.

But Kanezo quickly found that competing interests and communication breakdowns made the practice anything but textbook.

“It was a wake-up call when it didn’t work as smoothly as I thought it would,” Kanezo says. “I learned one thing: theory in textbooks is nice, but you have to learn to adapt.”

Although Kanezo, an economics/political science major, just graduated in May, he has the resume of someone who’s been out of college for years. For the past three years he has served as assistant to the city clerk and City Council of Reading, while attending college full time.

While Albright students typically plan an internship during their junior year, Kanezo was eager to get started earlier – two years earlier. During his second semester, he landed an internship with the Reading Charter Review Board, a committee that assists the Reading City Council in interpreting the government charter.

Next, Kanezo secured a summer position doing loan audits and research in the managing director’s office at city hall. And, by the end of his sophomore year, Kanezo was working in the city clerk’s office for 40 hours per week, and continued to work full time as a junior and senior.

Today, as deputy city clerk, he assists with drafting legislation, organizes meetings, deals with representatives from the city administration, and works on long-term projects, such as the office budget and state grant applications. Kanezo describes his position as “the daily advocate of the agenda of a part-time legislature,” which means he must perform a variety of tasks. “The true scope of my function can be very open ended and change from week-to- week, if not day-to-day,” he says.

Kanezo didn’t plan on a career in local government when he entered Albright. “I wanted to go to Washington,” he says. However, one semester later, Kanezo began his internship with the Reading Charter Review Board and changed his mind. “It’s more involved, more complicated on the local level,” he says. “There’s more contact with people, and you can see the impact of your actions.”

Kanezo strives to make a local impact each day when he assists citizens who call his office with problems. He has dealt with everything from traffic to trash to “my neighbor decided to stop cutting their grass.” Though addressing some of these concerns can be a challenge, he says, “It’s one of the most gratifying aspects of my job.”

But the biggest challenge in local government he says, is communicating effectively to avert serious problems like stalled budgets and deadlocks on weighty issues.

For example, there’s currently a major disagreement about the proposed sale of a lake owned by the city of Reading, but located in another county, that City Council is trying to resolve. While Kanezo hopes the issue is settled amicably, he knows that one resolution does not mean the end of the hurdles Reading will face. “There’s always a complex issue down the road,” he says. “Communication is key, and people have to be willing to sit down and discuss things.”

Kanezo is used to challenges, though, after balancing full-time hours in the city clerk’s office with his junior and senior classes. “While I’m proud of myself for being able to finish and do fairly well at both the job and Albright, there have been times when schoolwork or my position at the office suffered,” he says. “There are times you doubt yourself, but you have to keep moving.”

Keeping busy as the new Reading Rotary Club treasurer and as a member of the local World Affairs Council, Kanezo is also working to encourage awareness of U.S. foreign policy, increase literacy programs and provide medical relief on a global scale.

As he looks toward the future, though, plans for the local area are on his mind. “I’m certain I will continue in government, and I’d like to stay here in Reading for some time,” he says. “I benefited tremendously from the Albright community and want to be able to give back in some way.”

– Lindsay J. Moyer


	On the Fast Track to a Career in Government
s he entered the room where members of the Reading, Pa., city council were gathered to formulate the city budget, deputy city clerk Chris Kanezo ’05 felt confident. He knew what to expect, since he had learned all about the budgetary process in readings assigned for his public administration and economics classes. But Kanezo quickly found that competing interests and communication breakdowns made the practice anything but textbook. “It was a wake-up call when it didn’t work as smoothly as I thought it would,” Kanezo says. “I learned one thing: theory in textbooks is nice, but you have to learn to adapt.” Although Kanezo, an economics/political science major, just graduated in May, he has the resume of someone who’s been out of college for years. For the past three years he has served as assistant to the city clerk and City Council of Reading, while attending college full time. While Albright students typically plan an internship during their junior year, Kanezo was eager to get started earlier – two years earlier. During his second semester, he landed an internship with the Reading Charter Review Board, a committee that assists the Reading City Council in interpreting the government charter. Next, Kanezo secured a summer position doing loan audits and research in the managing director’s office at city hall. And, by the end of his sophomore year, Kanezo was working in the city clerk’s office for 40 hours per week, and continued to work full time as a junior and senior. Today, as deputy city clerk, he assists with drafting legislation, organizes meetings, deals with representatives from the city administration, and works on long-term projects, such as the office budget and state grant applications. Kanezo describes his position as “the daily advocate of the agenda of a part-time legislature,” which means he must perform a variety of tasks. “The true scope of my function can be very open ended and change from week-to- week, if not day-to-day,” he says. Kanezo didn’t plan on a career in local government when he entered Albright. “I wanted to go to Washington,” he says. However, one semester later, Kanezo began his internship with the Reading Charter Review Board and changed his mind. “It’s more involved, more complicated on the local level,” he says. “There’s more contact with people, and you can see the impact of your actions.” Kanezo strives to make a local impact each day when he assists citizens who call his office with problems. He has dealt with everything from traffic to trash to “my neighbor decided to stop cutting their grass.” Though addressing some of these concerns can be a challenge, he says, “It’s one of the most gratifying aspects of my job.” But the biggest challenge in local government he says, is communicating effectively to avert serious problems like stalled budgets and deadlocks on weighty issues. For example, there’s currently a major disagreement about the proposed sale of a lake owned by the city of Reading, but located in another county, that City Council is trying to resolve. While Kanezo hopes the issue is settled amicably, he knows that one resolution does not mean the end of the hurdles Reading will face. “There’s always a complex issue down the road,” he says. “Communication is key, and people have to be willing to sit down and discuss things.” Kanezo is used to challenges, though, after balancing full-time hours in the city clerk’s office with his junior and senior classes. “While I’m proud of myself for being able to finish and do fairly well at both the job and Albright, there have been times when schoolwork or my position at the office suffered,” he says. “There are times you doubt yourself, but you have to keep moving.” Keeping busy as the new Reading Rotary Club treasurer and as a member of the local World Affairs Council, Kanezo is also working to encourage awareness of U.S. foreign policy, increase literacy programs and provide medical relief on a global scale. As he looks toward the future, though, plans for the local area are on his mind. “I’m certain I will continue in government, and I’d like to stay here in Reading for some time,” he says. “I benefited tremendously from the Albright community and want to be able to give back in some way.” – Lindsay J. Moyer