What Am I Reading? February Edition

In an effort to get my blogging back into a regular cycle, I'm going to squeeze this in during February.  I am introducing what I hope will become a monthly feature - What Am I Reading?

Each month I pick five or six articles or blogs that I found interesting over the last month.  While most will be related to state and local government, startups or entrepreneurship, you might get a random post about Ireland, beer, sports or music.

First up ...

1984 with ... (in this case it was Whitney Rhodes, Pierce County, Assistant to the Auditor)

A series of blogs on by Emerging Local Government Leaders (ELGL)

Author (and subjects) - varied (@elgl50)

This series was born from ELGL's Webinar: Women in Local Government, which examined how and why the percentage of women in leadership positions in local government has held at 13% since 1984. ELGL surveyed those who registered, and published the responses to four questions.

I'm highlighting this because the 13% issue deserves more attention and discussion, and ELGL is becoming THE leader on this issue.  It's just one of the reasons I'm proud to be affiliated with such a great organization.

Please check out ELGL for more information on how you can join and get involved in helping local government break that 13% ceiling.

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Tesla’s Forgotten Co-founder Wants to Electrify America’s Garbage Trucks
Posted on Government Executive February 25, 2015
Originally published on Quartz
Author - John McDuling (@jmcduling)

"Ian Wright was one of the five original founders of Tesla Motors, so he knows a thing or two about electric vehicles."

If you know me, you might know that I am fascinated by electric vehicles - though sadly don't own one yet myself.  I love e-bikes and Tesla.  I have a client trying to launch a startup e-bike share company.  

So when I read electric garbage trucks (and I presume for other heavy equipment), I was intrigued.  It is an idea who's time has come.  Certainly a cost savings to state and local governments.  Huge reduction in both emissions and noise pollution.  So... probably one of those ideas that make too much sense for government.  I hope I'm wrong.

I liked it because it is the kind of idea that MOB Advocacy was founded for.  A startup, new to market with an innovative idea that can change the world, or just help the city.  All they need is some local government to take a chance on them -- and someone to help them get there.

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Who's Leading the 2016 Presidential Race?  Ask Futures

Posted on CNBC on February 25, 2015

Commentary by Brandi Travis, chief marketing officer of Aristotle (@bntravis)

"With scarcely a declared candidate, the 2016 election cycle is nonetheless in swing. Unsurprisingly, presidential contracts top PredictIt's 'most predicted' list."

I picked this article because I am a political junkie and I love the new PredictIt site.  For those not familiar with PredictIt, it is a platform that allows users to trade futures on political outcomes, essentially becoming a poll of the market.  Will DHS be forced to shutdown?  Who will be the next governor of Louisiana?  Who will be each party's 2016 nominee?  If you think you know?  Check it out.

I think it is a fun idea.  I hope it takes off.

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Getting to Yes

Posted on the Congressional Management Foundation on February 25, 2015

Author - Lauren Williams

"The beginning part of each year means one thing for many on Capitol Hill – fly-ins. From the largest corporations to the smallest non-profits, civic groups and grassroots advocates flood the steps of Congress." 

I am always interested in got my start in government relations in grassroots advocacy, organizing advocates across the country and I am always interested in reading about ways to do it better.  While this article is not groundbreaking, it based on survey data from actual Congressional office staff and it is very applicable for grassroots lobbying at the state and local level.  It is a great reminder as grassroots activities are going in state houses from coast to coast. What are their four tips to put you on your way to a good meeting? They are:

• Include constituents
• Know the schedule
• Be Flexible
• Keep the group small  

I'll add my own advice on what to do once you are there - keep it simple, stay on message, make one ask, and don't forget to follow up.  Do that and you will be fine.

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Students lobby in Annapolis for bill to prevent fracking policy across Maryland

Posted on The Diamondback Online, February 24, 2015

Author - Grace Toohey (@grace_2e)

"College students across the state convened in Annapolis yesterday afternoon to fight for stricter state environmental regulations."

I know, two grassroots articles ... but ...  whether I agree with the issue or not, I can read student advocacy articles all day.  Some of my earliest experiences with advocacy involve bus trips to Albany, NY to talk to law makers or administrators about issues like budget cuts, tuition hikes, and campus safety.  

I think it is important for students to be active.  It is a sign that these students understand how our government works.  They understand the power of the people.  And they are willing to take a stand for what the believe.  Good for them!

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That's my five for February.  What are you reading?

Yes, There Is An App For That, My favorite new civic-engagement startups for 2013

I recently attended #govfest, an event put on by Fosterly and I was amazed by the number of startups working in the public sphere.  I know it has been a growing trend for a while now, but seems to have exploded recently (in what feels like the last few days).

When I started working in state and local government relations there were few choices for vendors of any kind.  Most of us were doing bill tracking by hand and few were lucky enough to hire one of two or three big multi-state lobbying firms.  I am not sure if all the state legislatures were even on line when I did my first nation-wide tracking project - looking for and tracking bills related to disparities in healthcare and other issues.  You get the picture.

Then I discovered Capwiz and fell in love with the idea of e-advocacy (not sure if that is an official term).  I was an early adopter and was constantly amazed by the new tools and services they kept rolling out.  There were a few others advocacy platforms that took off about that same time, but to me Capwiz was the far and away best in its class.  

Outside of Capwiz, there seemed to be a lull.  Maybe not really a lull, more accurately I was just uninspired.  I know it wasn't a complete lull because one day I was listening to a speaker talk about the future of grassroots advocacy and they said that it was not going to be long before we would be asking, "What is our FaceBook strategy?" (maybe they actually said MySpace, which could explain the lack of inspiration) when planning grassroots campaigns.  And then came Foursquare.  And Twitter.  It seemed like every year something new would come out that was considered a "game changer" that I never believed would really catch on for advocacy.

One day someone told me about POPVOX.  Right away I knew they were different.  POPVOX seemed to be ground breaking.  No longer would we send emails or faxes or letters to the hill, but real data.  And I got my first smartphone.  And open government started to happen.  Mayor Bloomberg's right hand man Kevin Sheekey launched BGov.  And Mayor Corey Booker became a superhero on Twitter.

That brings me to where I am today, which is again "all in" on tech and startups, and especially tech startups, for government relations, civic engagement and advocacy.  These startups are everywhere.  There are some great new grassroots platforms - VoterVoice (not really new, but recently launched their DC office) and Votility.  New state legislative and regulatory tracking services like my favorite startup - BillTrack50 (which was recently named one of Denver's Hottest Startups).  And apps for EVERYTHING!  State and local governments have their own apps for news and information (Delaware has a great app), to legislatures (I really like Ohio and Utah), to procurement sites (Virginia's eVA is a great example) and everything in between.

Here are a few of my favorites that I have been introduced to this year (most in the last couple of months) ...

• TrendPo - Not really an advocacy tool, but a great way for elected officials and candidates to see how well they are connecting with the public - in case the single digit approval ratings weren't enough of a clue.  JD Chang and his team are going get famous calling races based on social media scores.

• Capitol Bells - A new all-mobile app for grassroots advocacy.  Let's you vote right along with your Member of Congress.  It is unique in that the data goes right to the Member, because your Congressman downloaded the app to keep track of votes.  They have some kinks to work out, but I think they are onto something.

• FiscalNote - These guys are brand new, I haven't even seen their beta yet.  However, I get intrigued when one startup comes up in conversations five or six times in one night and each time by a different person.  I get really intrigued when the founder tells me he can tell if a bill is going to pass or not by the second reading. 

• CitySourced - I recently tweeted that if Mayor Booker were an app, he would be CitySourced. Citizens report problems to local governments, they get properly routed and fixed.  I just hope that when responders email their responses to citizen activists they simply use the immortal words of Mayor Booker, "I got this!"

• PollVault - Also, brand new. An election information site that matches the views from groups you trust to the best candidate for you to vote for.  Just in time for the big New York City mayoral race and gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. 

So there are five very different startups but all doing great things in the public/civic sphere.  I am excited to see what is coming next!