Since his dad is former Virginia
Senator Eliot Schewel, we found that really hard to
believe at first. He shook his head and explained
that from early on in his career as an attorney with
McGuireWoods, he has maintained a no contact
relationship with state and federal government to avoid
any appearance of impropriety. “Once my dad
was up here, I sort of avoided [the Capitol] because I
didn’t want there to be any possibility that I
could be seen as lobbying him.” Despite the
hefty political resumes of many of his fellow Cabinet
members in Governor Warner’s Administration,
Secretary Schewel is a relative neophyte.
“I have basically no government experience
at all,” he said.
He said this naivete’
has perhaps served him well on some occasions where
being unaware of the political slings and arrows meant
they bounced off without any effect. However,
those who know him well say that one of his best
qualities is his calm manner, and ability to get to the
heart of an issue and really understand it.
Others have praised his sense of humor.
These qualities, in the right combination, can
make for an impressive arsenal for even an experienced
politico.
He said he felt very lucky
in that his immediate predecessor coached him on things
to know about the job. “Josh Lief had taken
over from [former Secretary] Barry DuVal,” he
explained. “[Josh Lief] was at McGuireWoods
when I was at McGuireWoods. Josh was very
generous with his time. I was fortunate in that
regard. He was very insightful in what he told
me. I think
