November 11, 2006
Christine Jourdain
American Council of Snowmobile Clubs
www.snowmobileacsa.org
With the elections FINALLY behind us, it’s time to get to work.
New people were elected from the City Councils to the County Commissions to the State House to Washington, DC. Now it’s time for you and me to educate them.
Now it’s time for you and me to get to know them, find out where they came from, what their likes and dislikes are, what their concerns are, and what their goals are for their time in office. It’s like a first date – only you don’t have the choice of whether you want a second date, you have to figure out how to work with them. They are now the elected officials that will legislate and regulate snowmobiling.
In many state houses across the country, the makeup of the committees will change. It’s your responsibility to find out who is on the committees that will make decisions on recreation, funding, access -- all things that impact snowmobiling.
Things will change in Washington, DC as well. Many legislators that have always been loyal to snowmobiling will not be coming back to DC in January. The makeup of every committee will change – from the chairmanship to the people that sit on the committee to the staffers that work for the committee.
It’s time we get to work…..it’s time we meet the new guys.
ACSA will hold their annual Washington, DC Fly-In in mid-April. Hopefully we will have representation from all of the snowmobile states. This will be an important year – time to introduce ourselves to the new legislators and their staff as a credible and truthful group, as well as time to introduce each of the state associations as a resource for them to use.
Keep in mind that legislators on the state and federal level will vote on everything from immigration to medicare reform to recreation. Are they experts on each topic they will vote on? Absolutely not. Are they familiar with each topic they will vote on? Absolutely not. That’s where you come in.
You need to introduce yourself and your club or state association to them. You need to let them know who you are and what your interests are. You need to let them know you are a resource – just a phone call away.
I know it seems intimidating to introduce yourself to some muckity-muck that is now important because of the election they won. Trust me – they are no different than you or I. And they will welcome knowing who you are and what you know. They will be happy to know they have a resource….especially someone from their community.
It’s not hard…..nor is it too early to get started. Drop him/her a note congratulating them on their recent victory and tell them you look forward to working with them. Once they officially take office, send them a note, send them one of your newsletters along with your contact information -- you can even suggest a meeting with them, either at their new office or in the district. You may be surprised when you get a call from one of their staffers taking you up on your offer.
It’s up to you to get to know them – they are not going to have time to find you if they do not know you or may not even know your club or association exists. Remember, they’re going to be busy trying to learn about all of the issues that will face them. They have to hit the ground running – legislation and meetings will not wait for them to get up to speed.
It’s time to get to work…….get that first note off while you still have time – before the snow flies!
You can even send them a follow-up note inviting them to go snowmobiling, either as an organized function or one-on-one. Taking them riding is a great way to get to know them, on the trail, showing them why you snowmobile. Showing them the things you see on the trail, showing them the beauty of winter, showing them the newest technology of snowmobiling……and it will be fun for both of you!
Elections are over…….it’s now time for you and me to get busy making new friends that are now in high places!! If you have any questions or need any information, please contact the ACSA office – we would love to help you!!
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