Not long ago, C-suite Blueprint Radio shined the spotlight on how the pandemic has impacted Congress and those who advocate before it. Tommy Goodwin was my guest. If you missed it the first time around, it’s worth a listen if you are at all involved in the world of public affairs.
While Congress often grabs headlines, the fact is local policymakers also have a big impact on a company’s public policy success. How can you effectively reach these closer-to-home officials?
That’s the focus of this edition of C-suite Blueprint Radio with my guest Maggie Mick. Maggie reached out to a key component of the Council of State Governments, where she works, and unearthed some interesting perspectives on the topic.
She’s in a position to know, given her service on the boards of directors for the American Council of Young Political Leaders and the Washington Area State Relations Group (tagged with the moniker WASHRAG). In fact, she is that group’s 2022 president. Maggie is also an ex-Congressional staffer and a former member of the city council in Lancaster, Kentucky.
Here are just a few of the highlights Maggie shared about how the pandemic has restructured public policy efforts at the local level:
- How are lawmakers using remote tools to share real time information online about what is occurring in the legislature and the community?
- Will we go back to fully in person legislative sessions and meetings in the long run? Or will remote sessions maintain a role?
- Did public access suffer when state Capitol buildings closed, as some feared? Or did new means of connecting actually increase participation?
- Why does remote access matter to rural constituencies?
- Has democracy been helped or hurt by the pandemic?
She invites public officials and private sector advocates to turn to the Council of State Governments as a resource as well as the Washington Area State Relations Group.
A reminder that on C-suite Blueprint Radio I interview a range of experts on matters related to communications and public affairs strategy.
Each program runs approximately 15 minutes — enough to give you the context you need without belaboring your schedule.
I invite you to suggest communications or government relations experts who would make intriguing guests.
C-suite Blueprint 
[…] The Council of State Governments Chief Advancement Officer Maggie Mick was invited to sit down with C-Suite Blueprint Radio to discuss her take on these […]