Sometimes, It Pays To Be a Pest.

The word "lobbyist" carries negative connotations: audacious men and women dressed to kill with pockets overflowing with cash and favors for legislators who vote their company's way. It's like the image of a news reporter: a brash, bold young upstart who never gets the message right, but prints it anyway.

I've served in both capacities and have found that any job is what you make of it.

In a way, a lobbyist is a "hired gun" operating in the state or U.S. Capitol with his or her employer's interests uppermost in mind and action. Too often when we think of lobbying, we consider the big boss of a huge corporation demanding, "I don't care what it takes, get this provision into the bill and get it passed."

Certainly a lot of that special-interest lobbying is going on, especially when the House Ways and Means Committee or the Senate Finance Committee is considering a new tax break for somebody.

In public education we generally don't have the money to compete with the big players. The exceptions are the teacher unions, which represent millions of potential active voters in home districts and states and which have an election war chest that sets them apart from all other education groups, including AASA.

Nevertheless, on a day-in, day-out basis, AASA does make a difference in the halls of power, be they state (through your state association) or federal (through AASA). How do we make a difference with all that money flying around? We make a difference through presence, and that presence is validated by your own phone calls, letters, electronic mail messages, and visits back home with the key legislators with whom you're asked to stay in touch.

Think of the folks who lobby you-for a new school, a new roof, an expanded program for the gifted, or a pay raise. Whatever the aim, the person who's most persistent is likely to get what he or she wants. Of course, the successful lobbyist must lay out an argument that makes sense.

It's the same with elected officials. If they don't see or hear from you, you don't exist in their minds. Why should they care about your one letter or one call? They will pass it off to an assistant to answer and that will be the end of the matter-unless you call the next day or the next week and ask, "How does Senator So-and-So intend to vote on H.R. 99?" Then you schedule an appointment with the senator or representative when he or she is back home. That's when elected representatives feel the pulse of the district more than when they are in their Washington office. If you can't get an appointment, show up at a local town meeting with the official. Ask your question about that bill and how he or she intends to vote.

Wham! You've put that bill indelibly in his or her mind. "Say," the elected representative may quiz an aide, "didn't I get a letter about that recently?"

You still may only get a "I'll be sure to keep your thoughts in mind when I vote on this issue" letter. What you want is a solid answer to your solid question: it may be about education funding or special education legislation or the status of tax-exempt bonds. Write again, or better still, call. You're a constituent and this is an election year; you will be listened to. Your persistence in writing, visiting, calling, and visiting some more will make it less and less likely that this legislator can weasel his or her way around your question. Somehow, he or she is going to have to come up with a real answer.

Wielding Influence

If we act together in an informed and timely fashion, AASA can have an amazing impact on legislation.

Never forget that you're one of the most vital leaders in your community. Your member of Congress should know your name just as well as he or she knows that of the bank president, the Chamber of Commerce head, and the CEO of the largest employer. Whether they know it or not, your school district is likely to be the largest employer in town. You are automatically sitting in a chair of influence. The important thing is to use it.

In Washington your legislators surround themselves with the trappings of power: a large desk, an impressive office, and a schedule that rarely allows them to pay much attention to what you're talking about. (Sound familiar?). He or she'll have a staff person there; get to know him or her. Your phone calls and letters are likely to be directed to this person because education is one issue he or she handles for the congressman or senator.

So if you want to get your key point across, make a pest of yourself. Write and call (one issue at a time) your member of Congress, and get the staff member's direct line, so you can get through after hours. And, if time permits, schedule that appointment back home, where they are on your turf and are more likely to listen. We can and do have an impact, but only when our members know the issues and make the right contacts at the right time.