If the thought of meeting with a member of Congress or one of their staffers has you shaking in your boots, then take a lesson from Gale Lively. She’s the epitome of “calm, cool and collected” during her frequent meetings discussing legislation or regulations affecting the apartment industry.
In fact, members of Congress even invite Lively, Executive Vice President of the Louisville Apartment Association, to participate in their meetings with staff. Last month, staff members for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) asked her to convene a group of “real estate moguls,” including real estate agents, home builders and investors, to share how the economy is impacting their businesses.
Rob Brownell, McConnell’s Legislative Director and Counsel, “wanted to hear right from real people affected by this economy,” Lively says. “What was supposed to be a one-hour meeting turned into two hours.”
Each industry group focused on one issue. Lively and those invited talked about the detrimental impact of the Davis-Bacon Act’s wage determinations mandated for federally funded or assisted construction projects.
In the Fort Knox area, the “prevailing wage for plumbers, for example, was changed from $15 an hour to $45. Davis-Bacon has put four multifamily housing projects on hold and maybe even killed them,” she says. “This has cost 700 to 800 jobs. Everyone, developers and businesses alike in the community, are just beside themselves.”
Two weeks after the meeting with Brownell, Sen. McConnell’s office sought Lively’s input into a script for a speech on the economy. “He frequently asks for our input,” Lively says.
Lively’s connections with members of Congress aren’t limited to the Senate minority leader. She also has built personal relationships with Kentuckians Sen. Rand Paul (R) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D) and West Virginia Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R), among others.
“It’s so important to do and much easier than one might think,” she explains. “With Senator McConnell, it started in 1978 when he was campaigning for Judge-Executive in Jefferson County. We had just started our Political Action Committee and gave him $250.”
“It’s not all about money, though,” she adds. “We provide input on industry issues, call their office only to provide the facts and never make unnecessary demands.”
Lively says that members of Congress “want us to reach out. They’re trying to get input. They need our input. Sometimes they don’t know how some of the issues could adversely affect our business.”
She says some members don’t make advocacy a priority because they “fear the unknown. They see these people as being so powerful and perceive that one voice doesn’t make a difference and that they are not heard. The association members and staff perhaps feel they will make mistakes with talking points. So they never make that call to D.C. or the district office.
“The key to being comfortable is to be prepared. Have your talking points and leave-behinds ready. Practice talking through key points. Anticipate their questions. Like I say, it’s so easy and so appreciated by your elected officials.”