BOARDMANSHIP...      Becoming Political Advocates By Dr. Ted Flickinger, CAE IAPD Executive Director and Managing Editor

As citizen board members and as park and recreation professionals, you have a paramount right and responsibility to participate in the political process. You have a right to be heard by politicians and to lobby for your interests. If you choose not to use this right, then you must accept the decisions that politicians make in your behalf.

Politics is the motivating force of democracy. Politics is far too important to be left strictly to the politicians. But, unfortunately, there are park and recreation professionals and board members who continue to say, "Why bother? Let someone else do it." Out of ignorance we can foster the two fold myth that (1) politics is an unethical profession and (2) involvement in politics is unnecessary for park and recreation professionals and board members. Nothing could be further from the truth. Parks are created by politics. You must become involved in politics. There is nothing wrong with politics. It's partisan politics where you can get into trouble. We, in parks, recreation and conservation, must be bipartisan.

Our political system sets public policies and priorities which affect us all. We will achieve our collective goals not by shunning political action but by embracing it and by learning it.

By expressing our views through lobbying, we are practicing the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It affirms,"...the right of the people...to petition their government for a redress of grievances." That right has protected and nurtured lobbying.

Just remember, government is becoming larger and legislation more technical and far reaching. Legislators will increasingly rely on information offered by those who have expertise on the subject contained in the proposed legislation.

It is time for all of us who care about the future direction of parks, recreation and conservation to decide that we must affect the political process. We need to recognize that the political process is a means to an end and a forum for constant change which we need to be aware of, involved in, and exert influence upon.

Work with your legislators to advance parks, recreation and conservation. Work at keeping in touch with your legislators. Accept your legislators as professionals. Accept them as decision-makers who have a tremendous bearing on your lives. Learn to work with them and to respect their philosophies and goals. I have found most legislators to be well educated and truly dedicated individuals who have made a strong commitment to serve their constituents, state and country. Respect them. Create a relationship in which they respect you.

We will solve our problems today when we re-establish our identity, our pride, and our determination to affect the political system. We must raise, not lower, our expectations...raise, not lower, our lobbying efforts...raise, not lower, our determination to succeed.

Our challenge is to move from political neophytes to political warriors. We must change, and we must change rapidly. We must have the courage and the stamina, as well as the knowledge, to be active, rather than reactive, to political issues. We must

become ambassadors for the park, recreation and conservation mission. We must become spokespersons, thoroughly aware of the values and benefits of park, recreation and conservation services. We are in a people business, satisfying an intrinsic need of human beings — the need to enjoy life to its fullest through recreation and to preserve our natural resources for future generations. We must communicate these values. You can make a difference.

It's time for us to unite our efforts at the local, state and national levels for legislative advocacy. We must not let the future happen to us, but happen for us. We must plan and develop our own future.

In April 1945, President Franklin Roosevelt died suddenly in Warm Springs, Ga. When he collapsed, he was composing notes for a speech while having his portrait painted. The last words he ever wrote were: "The only limit to the realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today."

We should not have any doubts about our involvement in lobbying for parks, recreation and conservation. I want to encourage more and more board members, working in concert with professionals in the parks and recreation field, to get involved in the legislative arena.

Citizens are taxpayers. Citizens can serve the best interests of taxpayers. Citizens can serve as the pulse of the community for parks and recreation. They can be sounding boards, buffers, partners. Interested, involved citizens can move to improve and expand recreation programs, facilities and services. The citizen's voice is clout. Let us always keep in mind that it is the concerned citizens,not we who are paid professionals, who can exert the greatest influence at city hall, the State House, and the nation's capitol as proponents for parks, recreation and conservation. Legislators look at citizen board members as those who lobby for the public interest and not a vested interest.

We need to speak up and speak out for parks and recreation legislation. We need to encourage more and more agencies to conduct studies that show how parks, recreation and conservation affect the quality of life and the economics of a community.

We need to collect data on how tourism is generated from park, recreation and conservation events, areas and facilities and historic sites. We need to show that bats, balls, tennis rackets, art supplies, and thousands of recreation products used in programs and services under the auspices of our agencies have a tremendous effect on local merchants and the economy.

Parks, recreation and conservation is indeed big business and we have a tremendous impact on tourism, the economy, the quality of life and a healthy environment. Parks, recreation and conservation is not a frill; it is a necessity. Parks, recreation and conservation areas positively affect the real estate values of homes. We have shown that trees are linked in many ways to physical and emotional well-being — that the trees we maintain help clean the air, provide oxygen, reduce noise pollution, provide visual screening, conserve energy, and reduce soil erosion.

But, we must convey to legislators these values and the importance of parks, recreation and conservation. We want to continually encourage more and more board members and professionals to get involved in the legislative/political process so that our voice will be heard more loudly. How often are you in contact with your legislator? When was the last time you met with your legislator? When was the last time your legislator visited your park and recreation facilities?

Simply, what we are asking you to do is: work at keeping in touch with your legislators; work at finding different ways to reach your legislators; work at making telephone calls and finding excuses to correspond. Your efforts might well determine the success or failure of the legislative program in Illinois and in Washington, D.C.

We need to speak with a forceful and unified voice on issues confronting the field of parks, recreation and conservation. We need to rekindle our energy and make a strong commitment to promoting parks, recreation and conservation legislation. Our growth and our survival depend on it!