You know, I had a plan for this week. I knew just what I was going to write about. Wouldn’t you know it, I even had one of my posts DRAFTED 3 days early. And then Ohio political news struck AGAIN!
This morning, over his various social media platforms, Ohio Congressman Steve Stivers announced he would be leaving office to pursue a private sector opportunity. This one, much like US Senator Rob Portman’s announcement earlier this year, strikes very close to home – Representative Stivers is my Congressman, and has been a good friend over the years. I cannot say “thank you” enough for all he has done on issues near and dear to me.
An Army Reserve General officer and former state senator, Steve Stivers is one of those rare politicians who entered the fray for the right reason: helping others. His motivation was strong, and as a result his team earned a reputation as hard-chargers. When others strayed away from out-of-the-box approaches, they went all in. They sprinted to keep up with the service-driven ambition of their boss. It was something to see – especially when reflected in their campaign team. Steve literally “ran” for congress in 2010, jogging through parade after parade shaking more hands, and making more meaningful connections as a result.
As, yet another, Ohio political family prepares to endure the challenges of breaking up the band, I’ll ask you to go back and read this post, You Win with People, about Sen. Portman’s team that largely applies here as well. But because we’ve been spending time together in the past few months, you’ll probably also expect me to ask you to think about what this means for you and your advocacy teams moving forward.
Shakeups in the delegation are hard. Transitions like this are fraught with peril. Not the least of which is the natural tendency for us all to immediately begin thinking about who the most promising contenders will be for the special election ahead of us.
That’s all fine and dandy, but I’d ask you to think about an even harder topic: what does this mean to the political landscape in Ohio as the General Assembly proceeds toward the already contentious re-districting process? More than the counties covered by Ohio’s 15th district, this move could yield tremendous fallout across the entire buckeye state.
Your advocacy team, like mine, probably had a strong working relationship with someone in Team Stivers. They were responsive, diligent and thoughtful in their work – and I’m certain they will be so until the office finally transitions to a new member. But in the months ahead, focus less on the horse race and more on the evolving talks with regard to the entire state’s congressional district map. While ultimately who replaces this team does hold ramifications for all of us, that same team could be facing an entirely new district just a few months from winning a special election to fulfill the remainder of this term.
That reality presents a massive opportunity for effective advocates to broaden their messaging and engage in more fruitful, long term relationships. Ignore that opportunity at your own peril.
Part of the Possible 