The Commissioner — Spring 2005

From Commissioner to Civic Leader

When Colorado Gov. Bill Owens began his political career on the Aurora Planning Commission, he may well have seen his service as a stepping-stone to larger political ambitions. While not every planning commissioner may aspire to the governor's mansion, many use their service to hone political advocacy skills that pay off in the future through elected office or influential civic leadership.

Service on a planning commission or zoning board is an excellent training ground for future leadership and influence, particularly at the municipal level. Commissioners are often already engaged in local politics and civic affairs when they are appointed. Their work provides opportunities to better understand major issues facing the community and how to navigate the political process. Commissioners are also afforded a forum to define their public personas and expand their personal network of key contacts.

According to the National League of Cities, service on local boards and commissions is often a common denominator among city council members and mayors. Certainly Berkeley, California, fits that profile, with four of nine city council positions filled by former local planning commissioners. In Los Angeles, prominent council member Ed Reyes got his start on the planning commission. His work as a commissioner on affordable housing issues in the Latino community has helped define his work on the city council and his political career.

Although many planning commissioners may seek elected office, others achieve prominent influence on public policy through civic leadership and political engagement. Tucson, Arizona, provides an excellent example, with two former planning commissioners becoming major players in city political circles and directly influencing key decisions. After serving several terms on the Tucson Planning Commission, Rick Lavaty helped run a successful campaign for city council. He also kept his hand in guiding local policy by serving on the Rio Nuevo Citizens Advisory Committee, which oversees a downtown tax increment financing district. Further demonstrating the political savvy of planning commissioners is Leo Pilachowski, who, after leading the Tucson Planning Commission through a rewrite of the local zoning ordinance, became a campaign advisor to several successful candidates for city council.

The insights into development policy and politics gained on planning commissions provide a valuable perspective, leading many to see higher office as a means of implementing better planning policy. In Ventura, California, two former planning commissioners have played key roles in molding the city's planning policy by lobbying for the selection of Rick Cole as city manager. Cole is a longtime new urbanism advocate and former planning commissioner. Ventura is also one of only a handful of California cities to adopt an urban growth boundary.

Planning commissioners are a vital part of APA's policy advocacy efforts. Commissioners bring their local prominence and political skills to the advancement of important public policy objectives identified by APA. In many instances, commissioners are well positioned to raise public awareness on issues and exert influence on both elected officials and public opinion.

Commissioners have also played a key role in shaping the policies APA advances. Former Tucson planning com­missioner and city council member Margot Garcia, AICP, was among the principal architects of the APA policy guide on water resources management. APA adopts policy guides on issues of importance to communities. The guides identify the policies and practices that policymakers should adopt and form the cornerstone of APA's advocacy initiatives. As a city council member, Garcia advocated for a water policy.

Policy guides can help commissioners better understand policy alternatives. Written for a non-technical audience, they provide analytic support for various policy positions. They can also serve a political role by providing the imprimatur of a national organization on sometimes-contentious issues. APA provides a convenient summary booklet of adopted policy guides, designed to be used with the public and elected officials.

Policy guides provide a general foundation for planning advocacy. On an annual basis, the guides are supplemented by adoption of legislative priorities. These priorities not only guide the advocacy agenda of APA, but also give advocates in the field a sense of the most important issues emerging across the country. The priorities are developed following a careful review of the most important planning-related topics currently being debated by legislators.

This year, federal priorities include reauthorization of the nation's surface transportation law, affordable housing, and the preservation of the Community Development Block Grant program. At the state level, top priorities are property rights and takings initiatives modeled on Measure 37 in Oregon, transit initiatives, school planning, and modernization of planning statutes.

Online resources are also available to help commissioners build advocacy skills. An online action center offers comprehensive information on legislative action from the federal level down to the local level. Commissioners that are APA members also receive APA's free e-mail newsletter on policy issues, APA Advocate.

Resources

Policy Guides: www.planning.org/policy/guides/

APA Online Legislative Action Center: http://capwiz.com/amplan