A shameless plug for district offices

I spent the better part of a decade working for two different members of Congress. Despite that tenure, I can count on one hand the number of times my work for them took me to Capitol Hill.  And if you’re surprised by that fact, you’re not alone.

Most folks can wrap their heads around two functional areas within a member’s office: the legislative team and the campaign team. In many ways, these are the most visible. But there is a third functional area, that while less visible, stands immensely more accessible – their district office.

District offices are the local, constituent facing team available to the public year-round. I refer to them as constituent facing for two reasons: district outreach, and constituent services.

District outreach probably makes a lot of sense just by its name. Within the district office, one or more staffers may be directly responsible for identifying key challenges and opportunities to engage with individuals or groups across the district. These field representatives often become the first point of contact for local mayors, chambers of commerce, non-profits and more. Because they are attending community events, scheduling tours for the member and fostering advisory groups, these field representatives can serve as your entry point to every other functional area within the member’s team.

Yet, district outreach is not all-encompassing for the district team. In all reality, a larger portion of the team is likely to be made up of constituent service representatives who handle casework. But what does that mean?

Under the first amendment, each of us retains the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The petition processes for each branch of government vary in complexity, creating significant confusion for those who need a decision maker to act on their behalf. However, the district office of a local member of congress can serve as your gateway and guide through the processes – be they legislative or administrative.

A solid constituent services team will have staff well versed in social security benefit procedures, veterans affairs processes, internal revenue appellate avenues, and the most often utilized: passport processing. And pound for pound, the district team has the potential to hit harder for your agenda than any other functional area in the office.

It’s a matter of output. In a really good year, a member may have ONE bill that they introduce, and see proceed into adoption as law. In that same year, through their oversight authority and the congressional inquiry process, they can provide a direct service to HUNDREDS of individual constituents.

When I started in a district office, I focused on veterans affairs – which made a lot of sense considering my background as a Marine officer. Over the course of a few years, I was able to help a couple of hundred individual veterans receive, literally, millions of dollars in retroactive disability benefits. One of my favorite victories in this realm was helping the widow of a Navy veteran receive death benefits that had been denied to her for more than 30 years!

How could a twenty-something, mid-level staffer accomplish that? On my own, I couldn’t. But because of the authority granted by my employer’s office, I carried outsized influence. That influence, coupled with an assertive, collegial approach our team was able to move mountains for individuals in dire need. There were countless times we were contacted when constituents felt they had nowhere else to turn, in the eleventh hour of their distress, and we were able to score major wins for these folks.

And here’s the best part, all of that work is done on a purely non-partisan basis. While the individual staffers may be politically engaged, during your time in a district office partisan politics gets checked at the door. You meet with everyone, you hear every gripe, you take every phone call. Because unlike the other functional areas of a legislative office you are constituent facing 100% of the time.

District staffers, in large measure, don’t have to worry about the legislative or political process. While helping their boss put his or her best foot forward locally, they are concerned with daily tasks more akin to social work than political work. So, what does that mean for you as an advocate?

You are going to face a lot of losing battles in public advocacy. Policy agendas are monolithic and stagnant at best, and at worst consumed by the daily grind of partisan bickering. But within your organization, you probably have a volunteer, an employee, or even a member of your leadership team with an immediate problem being posed by “the system.”

I’ve seen too many advocates jump right to the conclusion that they should consult their legislator to have them write a bill to address problems. Oftentimes, the solution is much easier to accomplish through the administrative process which your member’s local office can help you navigate.

Next time you’re at an event and there’s a district office staffer present, find out what they do. If they’re a field representative, start by building a dialogue. Find out what advisory groups the member utilizes and see if you can plug yourself into one of those teams. See if you can get connected to a caseworker who has your issue area in their portfolio. Start with a cup of coffee and a conversation so they can get to know you, and you can get to know what they’ll need from you if your team ever needs help.

I can promise you those conversations will bear fruit. Visit your local district office for more than a protest. Go there to find out how you become part of the possible.