Every U.S. Senator and Congressman has staff members in his or
her respective home state whose function is to represent his or
her position at designated locations within the Congressional District
and/or State.
If you want to access speedier communication with your Congressman
and Senators, get to know where these offices are located, and most
importantly, get to know the local office staff members who are
in charge of the office and constituent communication system. Usually
the Congressmen/Senators have a designated administrative aide who
is the lead person in the local office. In addition, secretarial
staff and other staff persons are usually housed in each local office.
The Congressman and Senators usually hold town meetings, conferences
and might even have a local newsletter and possibly a local issues
advocacy committee.
An effective way to advocate locally without going to Washington,
DC, is to do the following activities:
- Get to know the local office staff members.
- Attend the local town hall meetings or other local conferences
including coffees, teas and receptions. Visibility is the key
reason for attendance.
- Call in your messages to local staff members especially when
you want to provide speedy input on a specified issue or concern.
- Offer to serve on local committees and offer to be available
to assist in providing information to the Congressman or Senator
on a specific topic of interest or concern to you.
- Always follow up with a thank you note to the staff and/or Congressman/Senator
when there has been action on your behalf.
- The local staff members will know when the Congressman or Senator
will be in his/her home District and can schedule a local appointment
time for you.
Remember that local LDA units and individual LDA members can be
effective advocates by communicating regularly with local staff
members, and by becoming known by the staff members and the Congressman
and Senators. Use your local site for doing your advocacy work. |
