Communicating with
Government Officials

The opinions and decisions of chief executives, policymakers and legislators at all levels of government have a significant impact on the future of public transportation. This is particularly true in Congress, where major funding decisions are made.

Public transportation draws broad support across party lines because it promotes economic development, creates jobs, reduces pollution and energy consumption, lessens traffic congestion and provides access to work, health care and social services, education and training, and recreation. While government officials are inclined to support transit, many other priorities are also competing for attention and funding. Consequently, it is critical that they hear from supporters of public transportation. A sustained effort is needed to inform public officials and candidates for public office about the issues facing transit systems -- and how they affect the everyday lives of a broad variety of their constituents.

This information provides practical guidance that will help you contact the right government officials with the right messages at the right time. The appendix at the end of this section includes sample worksheets and draft letters that can be tailored to your coalition’s needs and goals.

Identifying Your Federal, State and Local Officials

Elected Officials:

When creating a list of your federal, state and local elected officials, include:

• U.S. Senators
• U.S. Representative(s)
• State legislators
• Governor
• Mayor
• Members of the city or town council

Appointed Officials: We also recommend compiling a list of all appointed officials who have direct and indirect influence over transportation and transportation-related issues. It may be important to share information with these individuals and to solicit their support, even on issues that are not within their authority. As high-ranking public officials, they have the ability to influence political decisions. They can also help communicate important messages to other government officials, the media and the public.

These positions include:

• U.S. Secretary of Transportation and relevant assistant secretaries (at the federal level)
• Heads of the state department of transportation and other relevant state agencies such as economic development, budget, energy, social services, etc. (at the state level)
• Head of local planning commission or other relevant office (at the local level)

Assessing Your Officials’ Positions on Public Transportation

Before contacting a government official, it is important to know if he or she has taken a position on any public transportation issues. The easiest and most direct way to obtain this information is to contact the official’s office and ask for copies of any recent statements on public transportation issues. The official’s press secretary, legislative assistant or public affairs officer should be able to provide this information. You can also check the public official’s Web site or a variety of readily available sources.

• For legislators, look up your elected official’s voting record and statements on transportation issues. You can obtain the legislative record of federal officials from APTA’s Legislative Action Center.
• For candidates or new lawmakers, try to find relevant statements that were made during the campaign.
• For chief executives (such as governors and mayors) and appointed officials (such as agency heads), search newspaper archives for stories, public speeches, policy statements or testimony from hearings.

Creating an Information Kit

It is essential to get to know key public officials and their staff before you need to secure their support and assistance. As a representative of a new organization, you will need to introduce yourself to both elected and appointed officials and their staff. An effective way to do this is to prepare an information kit that includes:

• A one-page background paper explaining the purpose, mission, and objectives of your coalition;
• A one-page paper outlining the key issues of importance to your transit system;
• List of all coalition members, their affiliations/organizations and addresses;
• Fact sheet on public transportation in your community, congressional district, state and in the country, including data on ridership, economic development around transit stops, number of employees, benefits to various populations in the community, etc.; and
• Recent editorials or news clippings that help convey important messages

The kit can be mailed to your list of government officials with a brief letter of introduction or hand-delivered during visits. In this way, you can be certain that all key officials will receive the same messages, facts and background information about your coalition and your transportation priorities.