2007 Legislative Goals Conference
Medicaid relief remains top legislative priority for counties

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Counties know what they want during the 2007-08 legislative biennium. And they’ve been given training on how to help get it.

More than 80 counties sent voting delegates to the conference. (Photo by Jason King)

A permanent end to the county Medicaid share and state assistance to help counties meet nearly $10 billion of school construction needs were among the legislative goals adopted Jan. 11-12 by the NCACC. The nearly 300 county officials – representing 84 counties – who were in attendance received training on how to accomplish these goals during a three-part workshop led by Jason Jordan of Advocacy Associates, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that helps its clients understand how to utilize grassroots advocates to work the legislative system.

County commissioners have been lobbying for Medicaid relief for more than two decades and have made it their No. 1 priority for the past several years.

According to Jordan, county commissioners should make use of their advocacy assets as elected officials in order to help achieve Medicaid relief and 40 other adopted goals.

“Because you are an individual constituent, your legislators have to be concerned about your point of view,” he said, stressing that a grassroots advocacy effort is all about personal communication and creating relationships with legislators.

Jordan explained that as members of the Association, county commissioners have an advantage over other groups in that they are a representative voice of voters and have influence as local “thought leaders.”

“Elected officials have firsthand knowledge of how programs really work and what the impacts are,” he said.

So how does one create this important relationship with a legislator? Jordan suggested several strategies, including providing local information and community concerns to legislators on a regular basis, providing positive press for the legislator in the local media, and conducting face-to-face meetings whenever possible.

Halifax County Commissioner J. Rives Manning Jr. weighs in on an issue during the conference.

It is during those meetings and contacts that county officials need to deliver a strong message. According to Jordan, a message should be a persuasive story, not an argument, and that messages could come via several different vehicles: meetings, e-mails or letters, grassroots gatherings, media coverage, etc.

“It’s very important to remember that one way (to deliver a message) is not the only way,” Jordan said.

Jordan also touched on building and managing coalitions. Coalitions are good for public relations, help share the workload and bring in additional expertise to groups, he said, but most importantly they demonstrate a broad community appeal.

“The more people who are talking about your issue, the more likely it is that the public and the media will see your issue as essential to the political agenda,” he said.

In order to recruit members for your coalitions, Jordan suggested tapping local agencies, associations and networks.

“The most effective coalitions are the broadest coalitions – the ones that bring diverse groups of partners together,” he said.

Jordan emphasized that establishing clear roles and monitoring partners’ activities are an essential part of managing the coalition.

“Never forget to praise the members of your coalition and enjoy shared successes,” he added.

Other goals that were adopted include additional revenue options for counties, giving counties greater authority to collect fees to help defray increasing judicial costs and establishing advance disposal fees on electronics and mobile homes to help establish recycling and removal programs.