New Hampshire has been selected as the state to create the model for a nationwide conversation that raises the positive view of not-for-profits directly into the national presidential campaign.
TCIA has been invited to be part of this project, which will provide us with direct access to presidential candidates during their numerous visits to the Granite State before the January 2008 primary.
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| Cynthia Mills, fourth from left, TCIA president and CEO, was among the non-profits representatives attending a press conference in Concord, New Hampshire’s, Legislative Office Building in June for the unveiling of the N.H. Primary Project. |
TCIA may receive visits at the office from presidential candidates in the coming months, participate in Town Hall meetings where we can have direct access and ask questions, meet candidates’ staff members and begin to build relationships that will be key in the next White House administration. This is Outcome 3 of the Transformation of the Industry in dramatic living color: “The government will regularly seek the advice and counsel of TCIA as a source of industry standards and as a partner in legislation and regulation.”
To be very clear – TCIA is NOT endorsing any political candidate. That responsibility and decision is each individual TCIA member’s through their vote. However, as your trade association representing you in Washington, TCIA must be in the position of having a relationship with whatever administration comes to power at the conclusion of the election. Your trade association must start building those relationships in advance.
Why is it important for TCIA to take advantage of this opportunity on our members’ behalf?
TCIA has been the beneficiary of the Executive branch of government in the recent past. The following illustrates how critical White House access can be on an issue that has direct impact for our members. Tom Kuhn, CEO of Edison Electric Institute, served on the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) Board with Cynthia Mills, TCIA’s president and CEO, for a number of years. With a relationship in place, we were able to piggyback with them on the DOT Hours of Service issue (and 1910.269). Tom was one of President Bush’s college friends. He is a critical player for EEI because of his ability to pick up the phone and call the President to get something done. It is that access that got the DOT hours of service exemption for us, too.
This access is not just to the winner of the presidential election. Many of the 20-some candidates will be going back to Washington either serving in Congress or in some other important capacity. Time spent in dialogue with these individuals and their staff teams is time spent with players. There is also a possibility that one of these individuals will be a Vice Presidential candidate with an influential staff team. There is no incumbent, which means that all of the relationships at the top level are not already solidified. There is some room for new seats and new voices to be heard at the table for the first time in decades. This will most likely not be the case in 2012.
The “winning” candidate’s campaign staff will get important White House and agency posts throughout Washington; just as Ed Foulke, currently head of OSHA, did after running the South Carolina Republican party’s campaign. What we are after is early building of relationships that could aid us throughout the next administration with access – 1. On the Hill; 2. In agencies; 3. In the White House.
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