We’re almost to the halfway point of session and I have the bruises to show for it. If this was a football game, my elbows would be skinned up, helmet scarred, and I’d need a new jersey at halftime because my name and number had been ripped off.I don’t know what it is, but this year has been brutal so far. Bad ideas (*disclaimer – my opinion) that started as snowflakes are now healthy snowballs gaining mass and momentum as they roll down the mountain and I feel like a skier in front of them. The bills that I’m talking about would prevent any local regulation of business, eliminate CRAs, remove our authority to regulate vacation rentals, and tell cities when they can hold elections. And the list goes on and on.
I don’t know what it is, but this year has been brutal so far. Bad ideas (*disclaimer – my opinion) that started as snowflakes are now healthy snowballs gaining mass and momentum as they roll down the mountain and I feel like a skier in front of them. The bills that I’m talking about would prevent any local regulation of business, eliminate CRAs, remove our authority to regulate vacation rentals, and tell cities when they can hold elections. And the list goes on and on.
I was talking with a legislator earlier this week and he was complaining about the lack of respect for local governments at the Capitol. During our conversation he said something that made me do a double-take.
“Casey, we need more goalies.”
I gave him a puzzled look and he chuckled. He went on to tell a story that I think is applicable to the legislative process.
“My son played soccer growing up. He was an excellent goalie, but preferred playing on offense where he could score and be the center of attention. Riding home from one game, I asked him how he was doing. He’d scored a goal, but the team had lost 4-3. He said that he liked scoring the goal, but hated losing. We went on to talk about the importance of the goalie. Every shot a goalie stops is a goal prevented. If the other team doesn’t score, they can’t win. Yes, it’s a thankless job, but a talented goalie is even more important to the team than a fleet-footed midfielder. The lightbulb clicked on in my son’s head and I knew he’d be guarding the net at the next game.”
We need more goalies in the legislature. Many of these bad ideas are rooted in a lack of understanding of how we, cities and counties, operate and how our processes work. Often a city or county makes a policy decision attempting to solve a local problem, but unfortunately, some of the stakeholders perceive it not as a solution, but rather an impediment. This is how preemption bills are born and we need more goalies to stop them.
Home Rule provides us with broad authority and so naturally we play more defense than offense. Unlike soccer, there is the potential for 160 goalies on the field. Turning a legislator into a goalie takes time and energy. We must educate our state legislators just like we educate new commissioners. Invite them to take a tour of your city or county so that you can show off all the good things you’re doing. Walk them through the problems that you’ve solved locally and explain how those solutions may not work in other parts of the state. Highlight how flexibility allows you to tailor solutions that work for your community. Show them how we help businesses succeed and how our local economies are thriving. Encourage your commissioners to do the same. It’s up to all of us (and our local elected officials) to turn our legislators into brick walls.
Okay, enough sports references for one day. I think I just heard the referee blow his whistle, time to resume play.
