Public Policy & Politics
In political and public policy communications, the message must be forceful, succinct and resonant with a majority of your audience. Shaping public opinion, legislation, elections and referenda require an understanding of the news media and grassroots dynamics. Griendling Communications has successful experience in both.
The principal of Griendling Communications has worked in national, state and local public policy arenas, successfully promoting issues, deflecting criticisms and objections, and prompting change.
We have helped reshape a federal cultural exchange program, promoted educational needs in the Virginia legislature, and spearheaded a new relationship between business and a local non-profit organization for the mutual benefit of both, despite initial local opposition.
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Case Histories
TURNING THE TIDE
In November 2005, the 32nd district of the Virginia House of Delegates was considered secure territory for Virginia Republicans. The district had voted for George W. Bush a year earlier by 55-44%. In 2003, the 4-term incumbent delegate outpolled his Democratic opponent by 15 points. That year's Democratic challenger, David Poisson, had never run for political office. Griendling Communications Principal Robert Griendling introduced Poisson to leaders of the Democratic caucus, the party chair and key lobbyists. While impressed with him, they considered the 32nd a hopeless cause.
Because the 32nd district was a fast growing suburb, many new residents had no allegiance to the incumbent. We recommended targeting them. Our message was "issues that matter," while describing the incumbent as too focused on social issues. We helped the challenger focus his public policy credentials through clear language.
We organized a letters-to-the-editors campaign to all five local newspapers about our opponent's ineffectiveness, another major theme of our candidate's campaign. Using our contacts with business leaders, we organized "Republicans for Poisson." The campaign placed a full page ad in The Washington Post Loudoun section and a direct mail piece to identified Republican households.
But the 800-lb. media gorilla in the market is The Washington Post. Anticipating the one article a race like this can expect just before the election, we ensured that the reporter had accurate information about our opponent's duplicitous charges, such as one that Dave "avoided the draft." We told her about our opponent's intentionally mispronouncing Dave's name as "poison" and that Dave's draft status was determined by his high lottery number. Five days before the election, she wrote an article for the Post's Loudoun supplement entitled "Climate for Change?" The next day in the Post's Metro section, she had another story in the Metro section that led with the mispronunciation vignette. Near its end she also wrote, "In fact, Poisson had a high draft number, and later a student deferment; he was never called." Poisson's opponent's credibility was severely damaged.
Poisson won 18 of 20 precincts with especially strong margins in the newer precincts. He garnered more votes than the successful Democratic candidate for governor, Tim Kaine, in 12 precincts. By boosting turnout in the new precincts and suppressing the GOP vote in the delegate race, Dave Poisson walked away with a 53-47% victory, becoming the first Democratic delegate from Loudoun County in 25 years.
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EDUCATION ADVOCACY
A few years ago, fiscal realities in a declining economy dictated the delay of many school renovation projects, including those in a prosperous Washington, DC suburb.
Determined to reverse the trend, the principal of Griendling Communications co-founded a grassroots organization called RENEW that first focused on one highly regarded but physically deteriorating school. But soon the organization became involved in the county?s budget discussions, the state sales tax referendum debate and funding formulas for education in Virginia.
During a two-year effort, the organization was the subject of countless articles and television stories. Major newspapers published commentaries authored by GC. RENEW lobbied most of the key state and local politicians in an effort to find more funds for schools. As a result, the county accelerated the renovation of the high school in question (the first time the supervisors have been known to overturn a school board decision on a capital project). The county also implemented cash proffers from residential developers for school construction.
An outgrowth of RENEW was a bi-partisan statewide political action committee called RENEW Virginia Schools that organized grassroots education advocates on behalf of certain candidates for the Virginia General Assembly in 2003. RVS PAC identified key competitive races, sent questionnaires, interviewed candidates and eventually endorsed 34 candidates. Several races were targeted for active, independent grassroots campaigning. RVS PAC volunteers made more than 14,000 calls, sent more than 10,000 letters, placed advertising and road signs and sent op-ed columns and letters to editors across the state. Thirty-one of the 34 RVS PAC-endorsed candidates won their elections.
| RENEW Coverage: The Early Days
School Plan $800 Million Short – The Washington Post
School Plan $800 Million Short – Fairfax Journal
Schools Must Set Building Priorities – Fairfax Journal
RENEW White Paper Stirs Debate – The Washington Post
Real Estate Tax Debate – Fairfax Journal
Fairfax Supervisors Embrace RENEW Objectives – Fairfax Connection
Editorial Support for RENEW
Systemic Failures – Fairfax Journal
Woodson Spirit – Fairfax Times
Shell Game – Fairfax Journal
RENEW Commentaries/Op-Eds
Proffers Help Schools – The Washington Post
RENEW Advocates for Schools Referendum Vote – The Washington Post
RENEW Calls for Statewide Leadership – The Washington Post
RENEW Virginia Schools (RVS PAC) Coverage
RVS PAC Launches
The Washington Post
Richmond Times Dispatch
Winchester Star
Reston Times
Op-Ed: Richmond Times Dispatch
RVS Authored Commentary: Fairfax Journal
RVS PAC Announces Endorsements
Fairfax Connection
Fairfax Journal
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STANDING UP FOR FAMILIES
In late 1994, the U.S. Information Agency, responding to a single high profile case of misconduct by an au pair, proposed new restrictions on the popular cultural exchange program that also provided American families child care support. In addition, the legislation would increase program costs that would have put it out of reach of middle class families.
Organizing the 10,000 households impacted by the proposed legislation, the principal of GC established a grassroots organization known as Save Our Au Pairs.
After months of lobbying Capitol Hill, an effective media relations effort, a swell of grassroots letters and emails and direct negotiations with USIA, key congressmen and senators were persuaded to reduce the proposed fees and curtail the most egregious restrictions in the final legislation.
BREAKING NEW GROUND AND SAVING A COMMUNITY CENTER
Griendling Communications helped shepherd through community controversy and a complex political process the building of the first cell phone antenna tower in a residential neighborhood in one of the nation's largest and prosperous counties in the nation.
With the growth of cell phone use, telecommunications companies need sites for antenna towers. One area needing coverage was in the vicinity of a non-profit, privately held community pool in Fairfax, Virginia. The pool was facing certain closure due to declining finances. A lease on a small plot of association land where a tower could be built would save the pool.
But the proposed lease prompted intense neighborhood opposition, based in part on a misunderstanding of the tower?s impact. The principal of GC organized the association?s leadership to remove objections.
After a year-long grassroots education campaign and close coordination with the telecommunications company and county political leaders, the pool board received government approval for the project. Afterwards, the principal of GC was appointed to the county's Telecom Advisory Board.
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