The law functions in politics in three fundamental aspects: a goal, a means, or an obstacle. First, politics can define specific, predominantly legal values or institutions as its goal. In this case, the political understanding of these values or institutions becomes almost identical to authentic legal knowledge of the same values or institutions.
Second, politics can comprehend the law merely as a means to fulfill specific political interests. In this case, politics is neutral in its attitude toward the law. Finally, politics can interpret the law as an obstacle to realizing specific political goals. In this situation, either politics prevails over the law or vice versa.
Law and politics create their particular pictures of reality. In the first case, politics effectuates its solutions at the expense of the rule of law. In contrast, in the second case, the autonomy of law is preserved through the decisions of the highest courts or by other actions taken by lawyers, intellectuals, associations, organizations, and the public to stop illicit acts of political actors.
Sometimes those pictures overlap, and sometimes they differ. Yet, there is something that the law should never include in its sphere, namely, the differentiation of adversaries according to a purely political criterion. This leads to a strict separation between “ours” and “yours,” or, in its most radical expression, to a strict separation between friend and enemy. When the latter occurs, politics inevitably prevails over the law and reduces or damages the autonomy of the rule of law.
People with enough information about both these topics in detail are the ones who can understand the impact of both on each other as well as the consequences if one party is not fulfilling the duties rightfully. Hence, most often, people must enter any of these arenas with the knowledge of another as well.
An American attorney, business executive, and politician who served as Palm Beach County’s elected Clerk and Comptroller from 2005-2021, Sharon Bock, is one example of such people who have worked in both areas and has expertise success records in both departments as well.
Bock started her legal career in 1987 as a real estate and business lawyer in Miami, Florida, where she vertically integrated her services by establishing a title insurance agency in 1989. As the Clerk and Comptroller, she served the county’s 1.5 million population as the elected Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Auditor, Clerk of the Circuit Court, County Recorder, and Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners. During her 16 years of service, she created and advanced many notable firsts.
Her management contributions were recognized in 2002 when the Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller’s office was awarded the “Florida Governor’s Sterling Award for Organizational Excellence,” the highest honor given to the few public and private sector organizations that achieved goal-driven, measurable results over the years. She designed the first organization-wide customer service feedback system that, once published, was used as a blueprint by other organizations.
In 2003 she was promoted to manage all divisions of the 900-employee office as the Chief Deputy Clerk. Following Wilken’s announcement that she would not run for a fourth term, Wilken endorsed Bock for the seat. After a competitive race with 4 other candidates, Bock handily won 76% of the vote. She took office in January of 2005. After being re-elected for four consecutive terms, she decided to retire in 2021.
