Selling Elected Officials on Infrastructure Needs

The strong efforts being made by various groups to obtain greater support for rebuilding, rehabilitating, and maintaining the nation's deteriorating infrastructure can succeed only if we can “sell” policy makers on the needs and solutions. Policy officials must be reached through a multifaceted approach designed specifically to develop support through the political process. We must understand some key political factors and develop strategies accordingly. While technical data and logical arguments alone will not be sufficient, they will be critical for reaching new legislators and for communicating effectively with the media and the public. We must emphasize economic stability and development as related to infrastructure, and also the vital role of local agencies in the “selling” process. Most importantly, all interested and affected groups must work closely together.