There’s no substitute for this relationship building and it proves to be more beneficial than a standard email or phone call.
Councilmember Lori Matthews, Councilmember Miranda Sweet and I were the representatives from the Flagstaff City Council, and we were joined by Shawn Johnson, chief of staff to the mayor and council, Public Affairs Director Sarah Langley and Senior Deputy City Manager Shannon Anderson. We were also joined by our federal lobbyist Bob Holmes. I mention that city staff joined us because it is important to have continuity with our federal lobbying efforts.
We had a total of 15 meetings during the two days we were there and the support we received for several of our projects was impressive. These projects ranged from flood mitigation measures to the Rio De Flag and beyond.
We met with Senators Sinema and Kelly, and Congressmen Crane, Ciscomani, Gallego, Gosar and Stanton. In these meetings we specifically highlighted the need for funding for our forest health initiatives and, of course, additional flood mitigation measures.
Our federal agency meetings ranged from funding requests to the FAA for a building to store the Flagstaff airport’s new snow removal equipment to meeting with the Department of Agriculture to speak about forest health and what can be done to further protect our community.
The ability to speak to our representatives face to face about the needs of our community is critical in order to achieve the kind of support we need to obtain funding or to make sure that a previously funded project stays on track. There’s no substitute for this relationship building and it proves to be more beneficial than a standard email or phone call.
The quality and frequency of communication and collaboration with our federal delegates and offices is critical to our city and residents’ well-being, and we will continue to work hard to enhance the quality of life for all in our community. FBN
By Becky Daggett, FBN
Becky Daggett is the mayor of Flagstaff.