 How To Be An Effective Legislator
Serving Your ConstituentsGuide Book: Summary from the Effective Legislator CD
Introduction - Representative Tom Ryder, Illinois
- Senator Bob Jauch, Wisconsin
- Representative Val Ogden, Washington
- Bo Ryall, Director, Constituency Services, Arkansas House
- Karl Kurtz, Director State Services, NCSL
- Constituent Service Connection to Government
- Government is often overwhelming and confusing.
- Constituent service: plugs citizens into the process; helps the legislator learn the district
- Be available
- Be accessible
- Listen
- Solve problems
- Educate: on issues; on government
-Represent their interests
Making the Constituent Connection- Almost anywhere
- Meetings
- Phone calls
- Hotlines
- E-mail
- Newsletters
- Town meetings
- Office hours
- Web sites
- Serving on community boards
Practical Tips- Remember constituents need to be heard
- Let people know you're available and accessible
- Understand that you can't please or help everyone
- Minimize unhappiness by truly listening and giving them a "fair shake"
- All constituents are equal
- Under promise and over produce
- From time to time, answer your own phone
- Deal quickly to neutralize hostile calls. Don't let things fester
- Watch for trends from your constituent contacts
- Best legislation often starts from constituent contact
- Use contact logs to develop overall and specialized mailing lists
- Set up a system to allow constituents to reach you at the Capitol with a local call
- Establish written standards for your office
- Be prepared for questions on local, state and federal government
- Run constituent service work like a business
- Keep 3 x 5 cards with you in district at all times to write down requests
- Always realize there are many sides to a story
- Promise effort, not results
- Get it and keep it in writing
- Only the legislator states policy positions
- Set procedures to handle abusive phone calls
Developing a System- Basic Constituent Service Work
- Create written standards for responding to requests
- Develop an intake form
- Use a log to keep track of calls
- Give legislator a copy of each day's log
- Color code constituent service forms
- Create division on forms for constituent service problems and issues
- Create filing systems: by person; by issue
- Consider electronic filing system
- Key Questions to Ask Constituent
- What is your problem?
- What have you done so far?
- Whom have you contacted?
- What do you want me to do?
- Ask for constituent information in writing if case could get contentious
- Get copies of key documents, like license revocation
- Put your response in writing even if you call them
- Guidelines in Working with Agencies
- Contact appropriate people at agency
- Give them a chance to resolve problem before going over their heads
- Be courteous and professional
- If you have staff, use legislator for the critical calls
- Let them know you've only heard one side of the story
- Be clear on what you want agency to do
- Be clear on whom you want agency to contact
- Respect confidentiality of requests
- Don't burn bridges with agency
- Use press if there is a pattern of problems or if it is a horrendous case
- Constituent problems can be addressed by legislation
- Question agency heads at appropriation time about patterns of problems
- Don't interfere in court proceeding
- Don't provide legal advice
- Don't recommend a lawyer
- Don't use your position improperly to seek favorable treatment for contracts and permits
- Ask veteran legislators for advice
- Hire people who balance your weaknesses. - Constituent service staff need to be: good listeners; sympathetic; patient; assertive; problem solvers; conscientious; organized
- Be clear what your expectations are of family members
- Generally ask them to listen and pass messages along to your office
- When constituents call you at home, they have an important problem
- Keep intake forms at home so you ask the key questions
Mastering the New Technology- Use system to identify whether sender is a constituent
- Develop standard responses for certain inquiries
- Monitor frequently to keep up with the volume
- Use separate accounts so constituent e-mail is separate from personal, family or campaign e-mail
- Set up guidelines for staff
- Don't let e-mail distract you during debate
- Create off-site access to your e-mail.
- Do research
- Keep up with state and local news
- Periodically search for your name
- Set up "chat" sessions with constituents, particularly school children
- Create Web page with clear and various ways to contact you. Keep it current
Final Words of Emphasis- Learn from Early Mistakes
- Keep current on responding to calls and letters
- Don't promise results or outcomes
- Realize that the constituent only tells you one side of the story
- Don't lose your temper
- Keep current with the new technology
- Under promise and over produce
- Constituent service is more important to keeping the public trust than any vote on an issue
- Treat constituent service like a profession; develop an efficient and effective system
- Know yourself. Develop your constituent service to fit your values, preferences and legislature
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