Agenda - Council - 08/26/2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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the project. T.H. 169 through the City of Chaplin is a critical access link to T.H. 10 in the City of Anoka and points north. T.H. 10 & T.H. 169 ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN ELLEMENTS Federal Government Relations Anoka County, a key Alliance Partner, has invested significant dollars over the years in seeking federal funding for various transportation improvement projects throughout the County. The County has retained a federal lobbyist that can be engaged to assist with on -the -ground advocacy work in Washington, D.C. The Alliance will work directly with Anoka County decision makers to seek advice, coordinate the Alliance Partnership messaging and provide consistent advocacy materials in any federal effort. State Government Relations NMMA envision the majority of the Alliance Partner advocacy activity will be directed at state government decision -makers, both in the legislature, within MnDOT and within the Governor's administration. Public Relations, Media Relations and Internet Advocacy These three separate disciplines must be coordinated carefully to ensure that the public and local leaders understand the project, are engaged in the issue, and are using a single voice and single message to talk to others about the project. Once the key messages are developed, the Alliance Partnership will need to create a strong and effective identity for the effort that brings together interests from all communities along the T.H. 10 corridor, and seek b- partisan support across for action. This identity and key message `product' will then help shape the creation of a Web site, FaceBook page, a Twitter feed, and other social media channels that will be focused on making sure the public and key audiences are well- informed about the entire project, the social and economic benefits of the reconstructed T.H. 10, and the consequences if the project is not built. The Web site will help the Alliance Partnership to create a master database of project supporters that will be incorporated into overall advocacy for the project at the local, state, and federal levels. The graphic design of our Web site, and media and print materials should be consistent, to ensure the campaign is properly branded. The site, logo, identity, and related materials need to be created as soon as possible to support the direct advocacy that must occur. Grassroots Education and Citizen Involvement All elected officials, regardless of level of representation, are responsive to their constituents. Having a strong citizen advocacy campaign will empower our federal, state, county and local legislators to be aggressive in their advocacy with their colleagues. The Alliance will have an opportunity to develop and implement an advocacy campaign that will become a rally 'cry' and give elected officials an opportunity to boost about their personal pride in supporting the effort As the campaign gets under way, the Alliance will encourage individual citizens to support the project through a network of social media and traditional channels, through direct contact with employees and citizens, and through grassroots contact and online recruitment. The goal is to not only build a large list of supporters, but also to educate citizens so that they in turn become advocates in their communities. Also, there will be a need to have the ability to `activate' the Alliance network during critical times in the federal and state legislative campaign process. CAMPAIGN TIMELINE July 2014 Proposal circulated to proposed Alliance Partnership Members 4