Sparks and SPPF at the MCCD Governing Board meeting tonight

I just returned from the meeting of the Maricopa Community College District's (MCCD) Governing Board this evening. Our Student Public Policy Forum (SPPF) group was on hand to present the results of our recent lobbying trip to Washington D.C. to promote the higher education legislative agenda to our elected representatives.

I wasn't able to stay until the end of the meeting, but the first half went well, from what I saw, with one notable exception. Namely, the first person up to speak - a student from Scottsdale Community College who was NOT in our SPPF program - took the opportunity to not only lodge a complaint about the Board, but did so in some of the rudest terms I've ever heard anyone speak at a public policy gathering.

The fellow, whose name escapes me, shambled up to the microphone with his shirttail drooping out of his trousers and pulled out a sheaf of papers on which he'd written his fulminating screed. After he'd accused the whole Board of corruption and began to talk about coverups, "sacrificial lambs" and the "sins of the fathers", he then warmed up to accusing the Board of other ulterior motives and so forth.

It was part rant and part Dr. Bronner's soap label. There seemed to be no real facts in anything he was saying, just a lot of highly charged invective. After a couple of minutes of this undiluted vitriol, Presiding Board Member Rosenthal interrupted him and asked, "Excuse me...what is the bottom line of your complaint?"

At this, the fellow became even more adversarial and suggested that Madam President had derailed him from his rant so as to undermine his freedom of speech, which, and I'm not kidding here, "the Sheriff's office would have something to say about".

When President Rosenthal said that further comments of his insulting nature wouldn't be acceptable, he lashed back with a comment about "it shows where your hearts and minds really are". Which I guess means, if you aren't prepared to just sit there and have me spit insults at you, then you're a bad public servant, or something.

"You're excused," Madame President finally said, to the relief of many in the room, I'm sure.

As the fellow gathered up his papers and prepared to skulk from the room, he said "I just hope the media will take notice of this." For that matter, I hope so, too. He was an excellent cautionary example of how NOT to lobby your public officials.

After he left, Mrs. Rosenthal noted calmly that citizen participation in this forum is most welcome, but it was predicated on a certain standard of courtesy. And, in her opinion, that standard was not being met by the fellow's behavior. I couldn't agree more emphatically.

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Perhaps 20 minutes later in the meeting, our group was able to speak. After introduction by Vice-Chancellor Helfgot, our Director of the program (Chad Douwstra) spoke briefly and introduced about a half-dozen of us students. We each took perhaps a minute to share some brief impressions and personal relevance of our experience in the SPPF program.

When my turn came, I noted that lobbying is a word that has fallen into disrepute, but it is a critical part of our civic society. To proactively champion an issue or advocate for your values with elected officials is part of the bedrock of our country. The SPPF program taught us not only the mechanics and logistics of how to do this, but also why it is important. Inspired by the grotesque example of the rude fellow that had spoken at the beginning of the meeting, I emphasized that we also learned how to do it in a spirit of collaboration and courtesy. Two principles, I noted, that ought to be part of the foundation of our body politic.

I was concerned that I would be physically able to speak, as I'm nursing a sore throat (my voice did crack once). But it went well. The other students who spoke were superb. I was especially moved by my colleague Chris, who closed for us, drawing the importance of being able to lobby as part of the American experience and how the program enabled us to be a part of that experience more richly than before. In all, the presentation went well and I was extraordinarily proud to be a part of that group.

If anyone would like to find out how to become a part of the SPPF program at their community college, please check with your Student Life Director for more information or send me an email). If you're interested in learning how and why to lobby, as well as developing a network of friends to help you develop in this area, it's an excellent training experience.

And, it's more than just an educational opportunity. As I said to the Governing Board in my own closing comments, to be able to go from volunteering on a campaign to help elect a Congressman to, a few months later, standing in his office in Washington D.C. and championing the issues and legislation that are important to me, was an experience that I will never forget.

I'm extraordinarily grateful for the Board's support of the SPPF program and for being able to take part in it. As soon as I got home, I sent Mrs. Rosenthal an email thanking her and the Board again for the opportunity to speak and their support for the SPPF program. And I also noted how pleased I was with the way she handled the very passionate, but also very rude, fellow who definitely needed to get some training on how to lobby his public officials.

SPPF lobbying trip to DC on Higher Education Legislation

Last week, several of my colleagues and I who are serving as representatives on the Maricopa County Community College District's SPPF (Student Public Policy Forum) took a trip to D.C. The purpose was twofold. First, to lobby our elected representatives for their support on a series of higher education bills before Congress. Second, to attend the National Community College Legislative Summit.

Overall, the trip was a success. Some highlights:

1. Lobbying our elected officials.

SPPFers joined Governing Board members and other key staffers to visit with all of Arizona's elected officials. I was slated for Senator Kyl and, by request, Congressman Mitchell. Unfortunately, Senator Kyl wasn't available to meet, so we met with one of his staffers. Also unfortunately, rather than meeting with us in a small group, they scheduled about 40 of us at the same time, so we were all jammed into the Senator's conference room at once. And finally, the staffer didn't appear to be all that informed about the higher education legislative agenda, despite introducing himself as the Senator's "Education Expert".

We were able to present some of the agenda, but as a lobbying effort, it was kind of a bust. As a learning experience, though, it was great. I picked up several tips on how to lobby more effectively in the future.

Congressman Mitchell was unfortunately tied up in a meeting, but we did have the opportunity to meet with his legislative assistant in a small, focused group meeting. It went extraordinarily well. Though there are nearly a dozen pieces of legislation on our agenda for higher education, my areas of focus were on the Pell Grants and the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit. I was able to speak on both of those. The staffer was well informed, respectful, supportive and seemed actively interested. When our meeting with her was over, she and Mitchell's staff arranged for us to meet with him briefly in his office.

It was a great honor, having campaigned for Harry during the election here in AZ-5, to be able to stand in his office and talk with him about our agenda and to congratulate him, again, on his victory. His wife Marianne was there, and I chatted briefly with her, too. I have a picture of Harry and me standing behind his desk which I hope to post soon. It was not lost on me that this was the same office and desk that belonged to quite a different legislator only a few short months ago.

2. The National Community College Legislative Summit.

The conference was held over three days at our hotel and was quite informative. First, I met and spoke with many folks from around the country who are active in Board Governance for community colleges, as well as staffers and college Presidents.

The sessions were illuminating and left me with a real sense of the importance of community colleges as drivers of not only economic strength but also innovation, workforce competitiveness, tax-base development and a wide variety of social benefits as well. I'm convinced that funds spent on increasing higher education access are dollars well invested, that return many times over what we spend on such funding.

One interesting session was the "Red vs. Blue" presentations by Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie. They provided the partisan view on the legislative agenda. McAuliffe was outright exultant and using the opportunity to stump for Hillary Clinton, whom he is serving as Campaign Manager, for President in '08. Gillespie was no less partisan, but was somewhat more subdued (related to the GOP losses in Nov 06). Gillespie avoided stumping for a given candidate, probably because he's just stepped into the role of head of the Republican Party in Virginia, and as such can't champion one particular candidate over another.

3. Logistics.

Our expenses were covered by the SPPF program, for which I'm extraordinarily grateful. It afforded me a real opportunity to get involved in lobbying for an issue I feel strongly about and learning far more than I already knew. I may explore how to expand this into a more sustained effort in the future.

The travel arrangements were a bit unpleasant, as the snowstorms that hit the northeast shut down Reagan International Airport and delayed our flight out considerably. Our connecting flight was in Atlanta and by the time we arrived, it was too late to catch the flight to Phoenix. So, for the second time in as many months, I've slept in an airport terminal due to weather delays. :(

In conclusion, though, it was a great trip despite the setbacks. I'd urge anyone who's interested in finding out more about lobbying on higher education policy and who happens to be attending a community college to check out the SPPF program.

Fortunately, I was able to connect with Congressman Mitchell again this afternoon at the Higher Education Legislative Agenda event at ASU with Speaker Pelosi and other key representatives. (More on that in a following post.)

P134 Update and a recap of Harry Mitchell's first month.

A quick update about this web site and what I've been doing lately, and then some links describing Congressman Harry Mitchell's excellent first month in US Congress representing AZ-5.

A. Communty service, this web site and my to-do list.

I've received a few emails in the past couple of weeks asking if I've given up on blogging. Just to let you folks know that no, I'm just swamped with other things right now. Namely, obligations related to work and community service. Aside from my regular paying job, here's what I'm involved in right now in the political and community sphere:

1. SPAC. I'm currently serving as a member of the Strategic Planning Advisory Council (SPAC) for Maricopa Community College District (MCCD). This involved a fair amount of initial research once I was named to the Council a few weeks ago. We then met a couple of weeks ago to develop strategies for improving service to students in our community college. One of the things we discussed was how to improve referrals from one community college to another, should a student's class not be available at their college of matriculation. It's encouraging to see how the district's culture change and technological infrastructure can be developed to enhance service to students. We'll have a follow-up session in March.

2. SPPF. As I've noted before, I'm also serving on the Student Public Policy Forum for the MCCD, representing Chandler-Gilbert Community College. We've been meeting regularly since just after the Nov 06 elections to research and develop our skills as lobbyists (yes, the "L" word). This coming week, our group is going to Washington D.C. to lobby for increased funding for grants and tax credits for higher education.

My area of specialty is the expansion of the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, which has needy students in their first two years of college as its focus. Given Bush's recent proposed budget - which raises Pell Grants a little but completely eliminates SEOG grants - it's all the more imperative that we lobby strong to keep access to higher education available to all. I'll be meeting with Congressman Flake and hopefully Congressman Mitchell while there.

3. CPL. Participation in the CPL Fellowship is proceeding apace, as well. I'm learning a lot about how to influence public policy and promote development efforts through fundraising and electoral efforts. Our taskforce is currently working on developing a fundraising plan for a local non-profit that focuses on electoral justice and increased civic participation. More about that as it develops.

4. Church. This weekend, I'm helping coordinate a simulation at my church for people who are considering going into faith-based service. My team of seven will be staging one part of the simulation which imitates the sometimes chaotic experience of going through a Customs and Immigration checkpoint overseas. I've led this simulation twice in the past and it has always been a lot of fun for the folks going through it (we're expecting about 200 participants this time). I get to be the pickpocket...

5. The Democratic Party. In the January district meeting of the D20 Democrats, I was extraordinarily pleased and encouraged to see the direction and energy of the newly elected District 20 leadership. I have great confidence in them and am encouraged at how they are already setting plans and strategies for 2008. I was asked if I would be willing to be appointed as a PC for precinct 134, but declined. I won't have the time to attend meetings in the coming semester due to other obligations that conflict. I'll share more about this in a future post, though.

6. The Precinct 134 Blog. I've always considered this blog to be, first and foremost, a community service to my neighbors in the East Valley. I hope to complete the transcription of the excellent interview with Councilwoman Donovan within the next two weeks, following my trip to D.C. and once the frenzy of all of my mid-February obligations dies down a bit. Thanks to all, and especially Councilwoman Donovan, for your patience as I transcribe the interview for posting. I hope to be blogging more regularly soon.

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B. A review of Harry Mitchell's first month in Congress.

I'm encouraged to see Congressman Mitchell is wasting no time as a member of the new Congress. Some relevant links from AZCentral about Mitchell's work (and a couple about his former opponent, Hayworth):

Feb 9 - Mitchell urges action on global warming

Feb 7 - Hayworth still has money

Feb 7 - Hayworth probably won't run for U.S. House again

Feb 1 - Mitchell not intimidated, embraces workload

Jan 27 - Mitchell tells what it's like on the Hill

Jan 27 - Rep Mitchell returns from the Hill

Jan 11 - Mitchell votes with Dems to raise minimum wage

Jan 11 - Mitchell opposes war escalation

Jan 10 - Mitchell stands up for veterans

Jan 10 - Mitchell co-sponsors 9/11 Commission bill

Jan 9 - Flake and Mitchell disagree on the Dems' fast-tracking legislation in their first 100 hours

Dec 22 - Dems move to protect Mitchell's Congressional seat

Dec 12 - Mitchell gets seat on House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee