[NYAPRS Enews] Gallagher: Mental Health Legislatve Day Was 'Lobbying 101'

[Harvey Rosenthal]

NYAPRS Note: Here's another piece of media coverage from our
extraordinary Legislative Day this past Tuesday from one of our
honorees, Gannett News Service Bureau Chief Jay Gallagher, who received
NYAPRS' 2009 Public Education Award.


 


Lobbying 101


Jay Gallagher Gannett News Service Blog  January 27, 2010


Short of giving them money, what is the best way to influence lawmakers?

Yesterday was the first official "lobby day" at the Capitol since Gov.
Paterson presented his budget last week, and at least one group was
going by the tried-and-true formula.

Advocates for the mentally ill (full disclosure: they gave me an award
yesterday) first held a mid-morning meeting with all of the people they
had persuaded to come to the Capitol from as far away as Long Island and
Buffalo, many of whom had boarded buses long before dawn. A series of
speakers fired up the crowd, which the organizers put at 1,500.

They also learned a slogan, "Don't stop our recovery. Don't cut the
(safety
<http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100128/NEWS01/1280330/1124/Bl
og--News-on-Jay-Gallagher--Lobbying-101> ) net."

Then after being further convinced of the rightness of their cause (more
money for the mentally ill) they adjourned for a box lunch. Then they
met for another rally, this one outside. They wore yellow hats and
carried signs organizers had issued as they heard more speakers champion
their cause. It was a made-for-TV event, and the cameras seemed to like
it.

Then in the afternoon, groups split up into contingents to visit their
local lawmakers. They were briefed first on being polite, on-point and
insistent, then sent off to the Legislative Office Building.

After their meetings, they boarded buses and headed home.

Does it work? Hard to tell. But one of the organizers, Harvey Rosenthal,
pointed out that as the groups' rallies and organizing efforts have
grown, so has their influence. This year, for example, the governor
proposed no cut in the aid the groups are getting, when many other
programs do face cuts.

Still, Rosenthal told the group, "We need a COLA" (cost-of-living
increase.)

http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20100128/NEWS01/1280330/1124/Blo
g--News-on-Jay-Gallagher--Lobbying-101 

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