Government Relations 101:It Really Works For You!

A Presentation byRene M. Lafayette

AndMatthew R. Chamberlin

CorridorKeepersConnecting Corridor Communities

April 2007

The Instructors:Rene M. Lafayette

• Former state legislator

• Former county sheriff• Former local official• BNE-OC, Citizens

Bank – Govt. Banking• Writer• Local historian • Life long Blackstone

River Valley resident

The Instructors:Matthew R. Chamberlin

• Class of 2007, BMR High School.

• 2006 John H. Chafee Heritage Award winner.

• Student representative on BMRSC.

• Helped with reauthorization of BRVNH Corridor.

• BVLA alumnus.• Slated to attend Suffolk

University.

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

-John F. KennedySpeech prepared for delivery, November 22, 1963

Who Needs This Information?(How to Communicate With Government?)

• Individuals.

• Small Businesses.

• Nonprofit organizations.

Government RelationsDefinitions

Government: Organized civil authority responsible for administration of the internal and external relations of a unit thereof. “governing, the system or method of governing.”

Relations: Interaction and exchange of ideas, thoughts, goods or services between two or more persons. “Dealing with others.”

Source: Oxford American Dictionary ©1980, Oxford University Press.

The Subject: Government Relations-Government Defined

• Local Government– Mayors/Town Administrators– Town Managers/Executive Secretaries– City/Town Councils/Selectboards

• State Government– Governors/Executive Departments/Agencies– State Legislatures– Commissions & Authorities

• Federal Government– Executive Branch (departments/agencies)– Congress– Regulators

Federal Government

• Executive Branch – Departments – Agencies

• Congress– Senate– House of Representatives– Agencies (Library of Congress, etc.)

• Independent Agencies

The White House.Home to every President except Washington.

Among the most instantly recognized buildings in the world. Ultimate symbol of the Presidency.

Executive BranchDepartments and Agencies

• The uber staff meeting is the President’s Cabinet. – Vice President– 15 department heads– those specifically designated by the President

• The Cabinet’s role is advisory rather than statutory. Each occupant of the Oval Office determines what role the Cabinet will play in an administration.

Executive BranchDepartments and Agencies

• 15 Executive Departments

• Vice President• 22 Independent

Agencies– Stand alone– Regulatory

Federal Regulatory Agencies

• Sometimes referred to as the “fourth branch” of government. But really are not.

• These are autonomous from the Federal Departments and Congress but still have reporting and oversight responsibilities to both branches.

• Examples are the SEC, Atomic Energy Commission, FCC, NLRB

United States Capitol BuildingHome to: 100 Senators, 435 Representatives,5 Delegates. All are elected by the people.

Admired or belittled, a great American contribution to the governing of a free people.

“Congress- the engine of democracy”David McCullough

“Where ordinary mortals go about the business of government, the art of compromise”

Charles McDowall

“Congress, the great commanding theatre”Thomas Jefferson

“There is no native criminal class except Congress”

Mark Twain

The Congress of the United States

The Congress of the United States

• Senate– 100 members– 2 senators per state

• House of Representatives– 435 Members of Congress– Minimum of 1 per state, otherwise by census

(population)– 5 Delegates (DC, PR, GM, VI, AS)

The Right to Lobby

• Article [ ] states:

• This is the basis for lobbying government, not just the legislative branch, for “redress of grievances.”

“CommunicatingWith Your State

Legislators”

State Government

•Governors•Executive Departments•Agencies, Commissions•State Legislatures•Judiciary

Colorado State Capital, Denver

State Legislative Data(SOURCE: National Conference of State Legislatures 2007)

• In 38 States both houses are controlled by same party– 23 Democrats– 15 Republicans– 11 Split

• In 1 State, the unicameral legislature is nonpartisan

• Of 50 Senates – 25 controlled by Democrats– 22 controlled by Republicans– 2 tied between Democrats and Republicans– 1 is nonpartisan

• Of 49 House of Representatives/Delegates/Assemblies– 29 controlled by Democrats– 20 controlled by Republicans

State Legislators at A Glance

• According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as of the 2006 session there were 7318 state legislators in the United States.

• More statistical data:– 3941 Democrats– 3310 Republicans– 67 Independents

• Average age is 53.

The United States of America: 50 State Senates + 49 State Assemblies

State Legislative Data(SOURCE: National Conference of State Legislatures 2006)

• In 37 States both houses are controlled by same party– 22 Democrats– 15 Republicans

• In 1 State, the unicameral legislature is nonpartisan

• Of 50 Senates – 25 controlled by Democrats– 22 controlled by Republicans– 2 tied between Democrats and Republicans– 1 is nonpartisan

• Of 49 House of Representatives/Delegates/Assemblies– 29 controlled by Democrats– 20 controlled by Republicans

Legislative Control by Party(SOURCE: National Conference of State Legislatures 2006)

1

15Nonpartisan

Democrat

Republican

22

State Senates by Party Affiliation(SOURCE: National Conference of State Legislatures 2006)

25

12

22

Nonpartisan

Democrat

Republican

Tied

House of Representatives/Delegates Control by Party Affiliation

(SOURCE: National Conference of State Legislatures 2006)

29

20

DemocratRepublican

Local Government: Municipal, not minimal

• Closest to the people, most common form of government encountered.

• Generally part time occupants.

• Includes cities, towns, villages, and other subdivisions according to a given state’s laws.

From urban city hall to rural town office, America’s municipalitiesare governed by several models including the “strong mayor,”council-mayor,

town manager, representative financial town meeting, and town meetingforms of government.

Unlike federal and state government, usually there is either one branch – legislative Or at the most two branches of government on the local level.

Forms of Municipal Governance

• Range from the New England contribution to municipal government, the Financial Town Meeting.

• Urban communities are typically governed by elected mayors and city councils. The mayor is a full time office, councilors are as well (Boston model).

• In many instances communities have part time government with both elected and appointed officials.

Variables in Municipal Governance

• Variables include professional administrators/managers to volunteers or purely part-time officeholders.

• The structure of municipal government also varies greatly depending largely on a municipality’s population. The question of “practicality” often the impetus in having a community adopt one form over another.

Contemporary Trends

• Due to internal and external factors, there is a growing trend in favor of better educated, professional administration and management of government including on the local level.

• Among these factors are demographic trends, scandals and higher expectations by the public.

Methods Used to Communicate

• Person to person.

• Telephone calls/trees/banks.

• Letter individual/campaigns/preprinted.

• Email.

• Internet.

• Public Forums.

• Accidental.

Person to Person

• Increasingly rare.

• May be planned or accidental.

• Be prepared to wait. Once in a meeting be as brief as possible while still staying on task.

• The key elements are follow up (in writing and email) and the prospect of future meetings.

Telephone Contacts

• With the Official/Legislator vs. Staff.• Remember to clearly state your name and

contact information for follow up.• Remember to get the name/title of the

staffer with along with date & time.• Telephone “trees” are when one person

calls and then contacts two other people to also call on the subject and then the calls expand proportionately.

Telephone Contacts, cont.

• Telephone “banks” like minded people assembled at a “bank” of telephones, usually with a prepared text who call the same number i.e., decision maker or legislator or a pre-selected list of people to contact and ask them to contact a decision maker/legislator in favor or against a proposal.

Remember: They Work For You!

Letter Contacts

• Still, in 2007, the method with the most impact. It represents “real” effort to communicate.

• Security concerns may impact the deliverability of letters (post 9/11/01).

• With sufficient volume, easy to overwhelm the recipient into believing that public opinion is tilted one way or another (even if it isn’t).

After the attacks of 9-11-2001, mail delivery to the Congressand indeed the entire Federal branch was stopped for weeks

as a security measure. The sense of alarm was exacerbated in light of subsequent actual and fake Anthrax scares. Although security

screening has become a given, communicating to your government continues to take the form of a “hard copy” letter.

Letter Contacts, cont.

• Letter “campaigns” provide for personalized letters written by individuals who are provided with “talking points” to be included in the letter to the legislator. They require more coordination/education so that the message is clear and consistent.

• Preprinted letters usually provide for the inclusion of sender’s name and address. Otherwise, they convey the same message. Least effective of the 3 types mentioned.

We still settled that one in 1776. Period.

Don’t undo what was paid for with the blood of heroes.

Holding Public Office is their Privilege, Not their Hereditary

Right!

Holding Public Office is a Privilege, Not a Hereditary Right!

We settled that one in 1776. Period.

Email Contact

• Increasingly email is replacing traditional ink and paper or snail mail as the mode of communication.

• Although there is a greater chance that your email may not be read by the legislator (spam filters, staff, technology) it is vastly superior because it offers instant instant communicationcommunication with hard copy capabilities.

Internet Contact

• Many websites have contact pages that can be filled out and then sent electronically.

• While you have the instant ability to contact, the negatives remain…specifically whether or not the legislator will personally see your comment.

According to the internet search engine Google.com, a recent search(3/2007) resulted in

Federal government 116,000,000 hitsState government 303,000,000 hits

Municipal government 25,900,000 hits

Results of Internet Search for Government Related Sites

Internet ContactOffers Contact Made Easy

“For a small fee, have your letters printed and hand-delivered to the Capitol Hill office of your Representative and/or Senators.”

SOURCE: www.congress.org 3/19/2007

Public Forum Contact

• This occurs when you attend a public forum in person where the legislator is a participant.

• You either ask a question, thereby becoming part of the forum itself or else see the legislator before, during or after the event and get “their ear.”

• Remember to follow up and get their card or the staffer’s card who may be with them.

Accidental Contact

• Accidents do happen…they don’t live in isolation

• Church

• Shopping

• Restaurants

• Daily Life

• Community events (sports, theater)

Points to Remember

• They (Public Servants) work for you.

• Be brief.

• Be polite or at least civil.

• Be precise in what you want of them.

• Give them a timeline/deadline when it is needed.

• Provide them with multiple methods of contacting you (mail, email, telephone).

Not satisfied: Remember something called elections?

Resources Selected websites dealing with Federal, State and

Local government• General US government portal site: www.usa.gov• US House of Representatives: www.house.gov• US Senate: www.senate.gov• National Governors Association: www.nga.org • National Conference of State Legislatures: www.ncsl.org• Council of State Governments: www.csg.org• US Conference of Mayors: www.citymayors.com• National League of Cities: www.nlc.org• Urban Institute: www.urban.org• Citizen Advocacy website: www.congress.org• State & Local Government on the Net: www.statelocalgov.net• Government Finance Officers Association: www.gfoa.org

Despite our many differences. Blue states vs. red states.Political party or philosophy.

We believe in the promise that is America…

We believe in the promise that is America.When, on April 19, 1775, a ragtag group of farmers, small

business owners and others stared down the greatest army of the world; refused to surrender their arms; and, fired “the shot

heard around the world.”

We believe in the promise that is America.We embrace the steel of character

that brought forth a new nation.

Freedom Isn’t Free!