Kelly’s Corner - Spring Time in Washington
Main Street Alliance is thrilled to introduce the Kelly’s Corner series, written by our Board Chair and long-time member, Kelly Conklin. As a small business owner with deep roots in MSA's values, Kelly provides a unique perspective on issues facing small businesses and local economies - and offers guidance for those looking to create positive change! Check out his recent reflections on the President’s State of the Union address.
In early May, I joined small business owners in Washington to bring the MSA message to Members of Congress and executive branch staff. We were there to talk specifically about our agenda of paid leave and the need to improve and expand access to credit. The dysfunctional House, run as it is now by weak leadership and fringe ideologues, is unlikely to move significant legislation any time soon. With that in mind, why bother? Here are a couple of reasons.
The first that comes to mind is practice never hurts. That’s right, walking into a congressional office and settling into either a cramped cubicle with a staffer or the congressperson’s more palatial office isn’t something we, as small business owners, do every day. Staying on message without coming off as rehearsed is more about being comfortable in the setting than “knowing your lines.” If things go well, the taking points fall away to a conversation that includes your story as it relates to those talking points. And that is where we make a clear difference, which leads to the next point.
Get that conversation going and again, whether you are talking to a staffer, a Congressperson or a Senator, an executive staffer or, and this has happened, a cabinet member, to a person, they will say something like, “ I can’t tell you how much this kind of face to face conversation means to us.” Make no mistake, the three-thousand-dollar-suit crowd does plenty of face-to-face, larded as that is with donations, speaking engagements, and other “opportunities” to secure re-election. But no professional lobbyist has ever heard these words, “Thank you for stopping by and keep in touch. “
We are constantly and correctly reminded that our first duty as citizens in our democracy is to vote. Many of us devote days during election season volunteering to support the candidate of our choice. As important as casting a vote or supporting a candidate is, seeing your representative in person, either in the district, in your State Capital, or in Washington, is more important. Making that extra effort isn’t just appreciated; it is noted and can change outcomes.
Our primary mission in May was to start those conversations, to begin building the foundation of a relationship, and establish the kind of trust that leads to opportunities to shape policy. The well-connected and influential corporate interests know this and, as we have been reminded lately, will spare no extravagance to be heard. But in that setting, everyone involved understands the corrupting forces at work. Sitting across from a citizen, in our case a small business owner, that has taken the time, done the homework, and is engaging in a sincere and respectful dialogue that is more powerful than a golf outing or hearty handshake from a shill in a shiny suit.
Our mission is to be present, to make all the work we do in pursuit of a just and sustainable economy front and center where and when the policymakers we elect are writing legislation, making deals, and casting votes on our behalf. One thing is certain, if we aren’t there, they are the ones shaping policies at our expense. Spring time in Washington is a lovely time to visit.