Ability to effectively communicate an idea is almost as important as the idea itself
President ’ s PERSPECTIVE
Hon . Bill Stricklend President
Communicating with Purpose
Ability to effectively communicate an idea is almost as important as the idea itself
4 | COUNTY COMMISSION
" A lie gets half around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on .” That was the observation of Winston Churchill , one of history ’ s most gifted communicators and recognizable political figures . Last legislative session , it often felt like county leaders and the other stakeholders that supported new road and bridge investments spent more time separating fact from fiction than talking about the actual benefits of the proposed legislation . But from that , we learned a valuable lesson : the ability to effectively communicate an idea is almost as important as the idea itself .
Since the December announcement of the Association ’ s 3-cent bond issue proposal , many county commissioners and engineers have worked overtime to ensure people know the truth about this proposal that , if passed , would catapult counties decades ahead in their infrastructure planning and re-energize economic development across the state . Those efforts are clearly evident through the dozens of newspaper editorials and television features on the benefits of the county bond proposal . From Morgan to Houston , from Sumter to Chambers – Alabama ’ s county governments are speaking in ONE Voice .
I want to commend those counties that have been proactive in starting a public conversation about this critically important initiative . I am excited to see these efforts continue over the next few weeks , as county leaders have pledged to further promote the bond issue by holding community meetings – either in person or via Facebook
– to ensure the right people know the right facts about the proposed 3-cent bond issue .
In addition , county governments are also pushing this session for at least 10 other legislative changes that would greatly improve our ability to govern at the local level . But no matter how good our ideas are , they mean nothing if we do not communicate them to the right audience . In this instance , our audience is both state legislators and the people we serve at home .
This legislative session we have a number of communication tools – some old , some new – to help us achieve this goal . And really , there is no reason that any legislator – or citizen , for that matter – should ever be able to say “ I haven ’ t heard from my county leaders about this .”
Our Association has provided us with four important communication tools to use this legislative session ( outlined in more detail throughout the pages of this magazine issue ):
Legislative Reports and Tracking Charts
The Association staff will provide the membership with weekly email updates on what is happening at the Statehouse . Those emails – known as The Goat Hill Reports – will be emailed on Monday , Wednesday and Friday of each week . Take a moment to read them , and pay close attention to the red “ take action ” buttons .
Phone Application
If you have not already downloaded the ACCA67 phone application , please do so . But do not stop there . Make sure