LEADERSHIP CORNER: Building Relationships with Legislative Representatives

Good, bad, or indifferent, relationships make the world go around. Building strong relationships with elected officials and other legislative representatives is critical in the role of fire chief. These individuals could be on the local, state, or federal level of government. The strength of those relationships can play a significant role in your organization’s success. Last year I reached out to two local assembly members with a request for funding to build a new fire station. This project is critical infrastructure needed to serve the community of Pine Grove.

The three keys to communication with anyone are to be: respectful, specific, and responsive. During your initial and subsequent meetings, be on time, thank the official for his or her time and stress your interest in working with them. Many legislative representatives are looking for opportunities to support their constituents and serve the communities they represent. Furthermore, elected officials have a vested interest in public safety and many are painfully aware, that a disaster event is a media event, and a media event is a political event. A disaster of a disaster undermines the public’s perception of government and their confidence in elected officials. Therefore, legislative representatives want you to be successful and tend to appreciate it when you present them with opportunities to support your agency. I have joked that this was one of the first times I asked someone for millions of dollars, and they called me back.

Respecting their time includes scheduling an appointment well in advance if possible. Be prepared with concise and specific communication. Be respectful of their time and make leave behind materials brief and to the point. I like to say, “If it has a staple in it, it is too long.” Check to make sure your organization’s priorities are in alignment with the elected official’s priorities. If you are unsure about their priorities, don’t be afraid to ask and practice active listening. If possible, I strongly recommend faceto-face communication with leave behind materials on your agency and the request. I would follow up on any meeting with a thank you email. In that email, be sure to include any relevant attachments that he or she could easily share electronically with colleagues and constituents to gain support.

Gather support for your ask from other stakeholders in your community. If you are fortunate enough to have your legislator assign a staff member to follow up on your request, be responsive. I was very fortunate to have a shovel ready project and community support. Thanks to the vision of former Fire Chief Jim McCart, who purchased the property for the district 12 years earlier and had a preliminary station design prepared, I was able to have those plans updated and a revised cost estimate done quickly. This allowed me to share a conceptual drawing and accurate cost of construction estimate prior to the legislative deadline. Additionally, I sought and received a dozen letters of community support for the projected from community groups and allied agencies including the Amador County Board of Supervisors, the local school district, the Pine Grove Community Group, Sheriff, CHP, Cal Fire and CPF. I do recommend that you draft a support template letter when soliciting these letters to improve your chances of a timely and favorable response.

Timing of your request is important. We submitted our request at a time of an unprecedented State budget surplus and on the heels of some of the State’s deadliest and most destructive fires. Two of these fires affected our County. I am personally grateful, for the time, attention and support of assembly members Frank Bigelow and Ken Cooley as well as their staff and my team for the preparation and advocacy of this funding request. I am thankful for the legislators who voted to support our funding request and to Governor Newsom for signing this budget bill into law. Our community and stakeholders are appreciative of the funding and look forward to the fire station’s operation and access to the associated community room. I look forward to working with the staff of the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) on the distribution of this funding and with a selected builder on the construction of this critically needed fire station. Moreover, I wish all of you success in building productive relationships with your legislative representatives that will improve public safety and protect your community.

Starting relationships with elected officials can feel daunting. Take this effort one step at a time and feel free to reach out to FDAC if you need assistance. You do not need a request in hand to start building these relationships. In fact, having a relationship prior to a request is very helpful and may increase the success of the request. Like the saying goes, “The best time to make friends, is before you need them”. California’s local government fire service needs advocates at the local, state and federal levels to ensure we can provide the highest quality of fire services to our communities.