engaging elected officials in economic development
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Mark BarbashExecutive Vice PresidentFinance Fundwww.linkedin.com/in/markbarbash
Engaging Elected
Officials in Economic
Development
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Purpose of the Training:
• To arm economic developers with approaches and tools to increase the engagement of elected officials in their economic development systems
• Part One:
• Why engage elected officials in your economic development effort?
• What is the role of the elected official?
• Part Two:
• How to explain what Economic Development is to elected officials?
• Or Talking the Language of the Elected Official
• Part Three:
• Explaining the Site Selection Process to an elected
Official
• Part Four:
• Rules of the game for working with elected officials
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Part One
Why engage elected officials in your
economic development efforts?
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Why should you engage elected officials in economic development?
First, because they’re already there!
Officially: In the chain of approval: abatements, grants, loans, voting on appropriations and programs, zoning, planning, responding to citizen complaints and concerns
Unofficially: Connection with key stakeholders (developers, business owners, citizens, bankers), complaining citizens, media, other elected officials
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Steven Covey’s Seven Habits:
1. Be Proactive.
• Reach out to the elected before they have to
reach out to you!
2. Begin with the End in Mind
• How do you envision the involvement of a
particular elected official in your economic
development effort?
3. Put First Things First
• Make sure your own house is in order, and be
prepared for “input”
4. Think Win-Win
• Both sides should gain from the relationship.
5. First Seek to Understand, then Seek to be
Understood
• Why do people run for office and what do they
want to achieve?
6. Synergize
• It’s all about teamwork, not competition.
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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The Role of the Elected Official
• Executive
• Mayors, Governors, Presidents
• Management of Cabinet Officials
• Budget
• Legislative
• State Legislature, City Council, County Commission
• Oversight of the Executive
• Solve Problems
• Level
• Local
• State
• Federal
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Needs of the Elected Official
• Legislative: State legislature, city council, county council, townships
• Executive: Governor, Mayor, County Executive
Make the Connection between the needs of the elected official and economic development
• Get elected
• Support key initiatives
• Support the work of key allies
• Make connections
• Stay out of trouble
• Solve problems
• Raise money for campaigning
• Advance in the party leadership structure
• Stand out
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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• Why engage elected officials?
• Community and political support
• Financial resources, particularly for infrastructure
• Access to key players and stakeholders
• “Early warning” on controversies
• Support for business investments / incentives
• How to get elected officials engaged in economic development
• Involvement in the strategic planning process
• One on one
• Lobbying vs. “information”
• Board of Directors?
• Connective tissue
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Part Two
How to explain what Economic Development is to elected officials?
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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The Goal:
• Engage the elected official to be supportive of your efforts to grow the community, be a friend in times of need, support for additional resources, and help project success.
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Key Questions You Need to Answer
• What is economic development?
• What is community development?
• Why is regionalism important?
• Who are the players in economic development?
• What are the types of activities in economic development?
• How does “deal making” work?
• How does a BDO operate? What are best practices?
• Can an elected official be “over-involved”?
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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What is economic development?
• Activities to improve the economic and community health of a region by promoting public and private investment that creates and retains jobs, improves income, promotes a high quality of life, and improves the fiscal condition of local government.
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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• Types of Strategies for Economic and Community Development
• The importance of the strategic plan and examples of approaches such as attraction, retention and expansion, arts and culture, housing, small business, Main Street,
A Key Point: Your community’s economic development strategy should be based on the current conditions and aspirations of your area.
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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• Types of Strategies for Economic and Community Development
• The Importance of the Strategic Plan
• Business Retention and Expansion
• Attraction & Competition
• Tech Based Economic Development
• Workforce
• Neighborhood
• Main Street
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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• Who Does What in Economic Development?
• The Partners
• Economic Development Professional
• Workforce Development Professional
• Site Selector
• Utilities
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Role of the Economic Development Professional
• Visionary
• Catalyst
• Advocate
• Educator
• Evaluator
• Deal Maker
• Facilitator
• Connector
• Marketer
• Calling the Plays
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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What are the ways that elected officials can help economic developers?
• Lobbying for overall program appropriations
• Helping to run interference
• Making connections with key stakeholders
• Helping to drive long term vision and commitment
• Getting attention when you celebrate successes
• Lobbying for competitive funding applications – carefully
• Help Drive the development of a local strategy
• Help Develop your product
• Help Form and be part of the core team
• When the deal shows up be prepared to win…operate as a well oiled machine
• Focus on building local incentive packages that fits the goals and objectives of the community
• Build a comprehensive proposal that helps the company mitigate risk where possible
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Ways to Engage Elected Officials
• Educate them on projects in their districts/areas
• Training targeted at elected officials: ED 411
• Getting access to key stakeholders
• Service on advisory boards
• Periodic briefings
• Participate in elected officials’ local seminars on small business
• Serve as referral source for constituents asking for assistance
• Crisis management during an economic or natural disaster
• Be a buffer
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Part 3:
Explaining the Site Selection Process
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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First contact to Ribbon Cutting: Elected Officials and The Deal Process
Objectives
• Overview of the economic development deal process
• How to best position your community for a win
• The role of the elected official, simplified The Deal Defined
• What does an economic development deal typically look like?
• An economic base company “Primary Employer”
• Well defined parameters/requirements
• Well defined project drivers
• Actively evaluating multiple locations, likely multistate and possibly multinational
• Communication is established with the project lead/representative
• Confirmation received you are on the list of viable locations
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Step One: The Deal Process – Contact & Qualify
• Initial Contact:
• To: property owner, local ED staff, political leadership, Governor’s office, Congressional office, supplier, customer, dog catcher
• From: end user, consultant, real estate broker, accountant, lawyer, property owner, supplier, customer, alien life forms (other than those listed above)
• Qualification and project definition
• Define the project, understand the prospect’s needs, decision drivers, potential value to the community, and risks
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Step Two: The Deal Process – Engage, Respond, Repeat
• Engage your partners and mobilize your team
• Engage with the client following the Platinum Rule – Treat others in the way they like to be treated.
• FOLLOW THE CONSULTANT’S RULES
• Look for opportunities to engage with supportive, similarly positioned businesses
• Respond to requests
• Answer the questions they ask AND the ones that they should have asked
• Engage with the client following the Platinum Rule
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Step Three: The Deal Process - Offer & Negotiate
• Offer an aggressive incentive package you can live with in Round 1
• Best, but not final: aggressive on numbers, flexible on structure
• Simple can beat big, demonstrate an understanding of the projects decision drivers outside of the traditional financial incentives
• Negotiate the terms
• Understand your ROI and what you are buying
• Limit the number of negotiators. Make sure that person understands the details of what is being negotiated
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Step Four: The Announcement
• ONLY BAD THINGS COME FROM TALKING ABOUT PROJECTS BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT
• More competition
• Labor problems
• Increased costs
• Let the company tell you when THEY want to talk about the project
• There are a variety of ethical, legal and otherwise appropriate ways to handle public approval meetings
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Step Five: Deliver and Monitor Deliver
• Simple, clear processes
• Maintain relationships
• Provide clear pathways for answers
• Follow-through on commitments Monitor
• Incentives are a contract for services. Make sure you get what you paid for
• But, missed projections don’t equal fraud with malicious intent
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Risk Reduction – The Core Concern
Win/Reduce Risk
• Platinum Rule
• Proactive/Responsive
• Professional
• Confidential
• Clarity and honesty
• Solve problems
Lose/Add Risk
• Assume you know best
• Over aggressive
• Uncoordinated
• Multiple voices
• Lack of clarity
• Untrustworthy
• Over promise/Under deliver The role of the elected official in the deal
• Chief Executive: Oversee negotiation, establish relationship with senior decision makers, cut the final deal
• Board Member: Advise behind the scenes. Ensure
the systems are in place and working. Make
your network available.
• Stakeholder: Work with and support the negotiating team. Be ready to mobilize your organization and network.
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Part Four Rules of the Game for Working with
Elected Officials
1. No surprises 2. Emphasize the importance of confidentiality /
Disclosure of information 3. Celebrate successes: The importance of the
ribbon cutting 4. Don’t pretend to understand the role of politics,
even if you do 5. Know the controversial issues in economic
development 6. Know the political context of the elected: their
issues, background, connections, controversies 7. Be careful about the pork barrel vs. the public
good argument 8. Be careful what you promise 9. Know who else the elected is hearing from 10 Be prepared to answer the question: “What can I do
for you?” (“What’s the ask”)
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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The 10 Things Elected Officials Should Know
• Your local economic strengths and weaknesses
• Your community’s place in the broader regional economy
• Your community’s economic development vision and goals
• Your community’s strategy to attain its goals
• Connections between economic development & other city policies
• Your regulatory environment
• Your long term economic development stakeholders & partners
• The needs of your local business community
• Your community’s economic development message
• Your economic development staff
Workbook on Economic Development for Elected Officials Mark Barbash Inland Northwest Partnership / September 25, 2015
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Mark Barbash
Finance Fund
markbarbash@financefund.org
www.linkedin.in/in/markbarbash
(614) 774-7599
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