Perhaps the most fundamental of fundamental rights protected in the U.S. Constitution is embodied in the words of the cherished First Amendment, which protects — in addition to free speech and religion — the freedom to assembly and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
To freely congregate and advocate on key issues impacting our industry and our profession is not only critical to our business; it is the living embodiment of our most fundamental constitutional right. Enter REALTOR® & Government Day!
I had just started my career with the WRA when I experienced my first REALTOR® & Government Day (RGD). At the time, we had a whole committee, known as the WRA Governmental Affairs Committee, that did very little but plan for our big day in the Capitol. The year was 1985, and the industry was facing some tough issues. Most notably, a proposal to limit, or “cap,” the state mortgage interest deduction was making its way through the legislature. The proposal came from a Democratic governor and was being considered by a legislature controlled by Democrats in both the Senate and Assembly. My previous eight years as a capitol staffer taught me what any third grader would know: this was not an ideal legislative scenario for us.
Turns out this wouldn’t be the only major issue facing the WRA in those first years of my career as your chief lobbyist. Other proposals included legislation to increase the real estate transfer tax and an administrative rule that mandated expensive basement insulation in all new and existing multifamily dwellings in the state, to name a few.
After contemplating what I might do after being fired for losing, we set about creating a plan that focused on mobilizing our large and ubiquitous membership to explain to lawmakers, the media, other interest groups and the general public why this proposal was a bad idea. A key element to our plans was to flood Madison with active, well-informed and energized members at RGD! And boy, did it work.
In 1985 and 1986, we had among the highest RGD turnout of members EVER, and they were fired up. From the podium, the leadership team and I could feel the emotion as we walked the attendees through our talking points and the plan for the day. REALTORS® came from every corner of the state, carrying our message but also their own homemade messages. Some of our northern members had hats with the big words “No Caps!” in big, bright letters, referencing the proposed limits on the mortgage interest deduction. Other attendees had T-shirts, oversized buttons, banners and placards. They were ready to engage! We supplied them with literature, polling data and leave-behind pieces making our case against the proposal. When we reconvened at the end of the day, we shared food, drinks and stories from the Hill. Based on the member feedback, I got the distinct feeling we had turned an important corner. Seemed to me that many legislators who supported these proposals were taken aback by the persuasiveness of our messaging, but also the sheer number of our messengers.
As I walked the halls of the Capitol in the weeks that followed, it was clear the tide had turned. I found our supporters energized, and I found our opponents questioning — and in many cases changing — their positions. The punchline: We were able to stop the limits on the mortgage interest deduction and every one of the other onerous proposals that followed. Perhaps more impressively, in nearly every case, those bad ideas were never reintroduced in the intervening 38 years.
Looking back over these past nearly four decades, I’ve seen issues small and large come and go. I’ve seen RGD attendance go up and down. But I’ve also seen every governor, cabinet secretary and legislative leader of both parties accept our invitation for them to join us, whether they agreed or disagreed on any given issue in any given legislative session.
Over the arch of history, RGD is one of the best things we ever created. Many organizations hold similar events, but very few, if any, have experienced our successes. For a heavily regulated industry like ours, having an active, informed, energized and engaged membership is an absolute must. And harnessing the power of those members in a focused, single day in the Capitol has made a huge difference.
Speaking of history, President Theodore Roosevelt once said of American foreign policy: “Speak softly but carry a big stick; you will go far.” I say let’s speak loudly and carry a big stick, and we will go further! Come join us on April 26 in Madison for our latest edition of RGD. One day. One voice. Once again!