Now that we are well into 2022, I thought it would be a good time to review what WeSERV Government Affairs does and who we are. A lot of changes have happened over the past two years between mergers, covid and generally uncertain times. There are many members who are new to WeSERV or new to real estate, so this seems like a good time to re-introduce WeSERV Government Affairs to everyone.
Let’s start with the general geography. WeSERV is under the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) umbrella. Under the NAR model there is one national association, several state and territorial associations (one for each state/territory), and local associations.
There is the National Association of REALTORS®, the Arizona Association of REALTORS® (AR – also known as Arizona REALTORS®), and WeSERV Association of REALTORS® (West and Southeast REALTORS® of the Valley). WeSERV’s jurisdiction includes West Maricopa County, Southeast Maricopa County, Pinal, Cochise and Santa Cruz.
Because WeSERV is the local association across this geography, our government affairs department is charged with interacting with, creating, and maintaining relationships with local government, both staff and elected officials. We also participate in various local associations and organization’s government affairs committees. Chambers of Commerce and organization such as Pinal Partnership and WESTMARC are examples.
One of the incorrect assumptions members and others make about WeSERV government affairs is that we are lobbyists. We are not and don’t plan to be lobbyists. NAR and AR follow the lobbyist model, and that makes sense given their environments. They both participate in the federal and state legislative process and that system is built on lobbyists persuading law makers and their staffs to support or defeat a particular piece of legislation. At times it may also mean persuading a lawmaker to insert a specific provision into an already introduced bill that is favorable to REALTORS®. It means private meetings for purposes of persuasion with elected officials and their staff as a standard course of business.
At the local level, we don’t lobby. We provide information, education, and market context in an effort to provide valuable, usable information for local government discussions with the public on issues of importance. In most cases you may find our special reports online at www.weservgad.org.
You will find our letters and comments on local topics such as sign ordinances, LDOs (land use development ordinance), landscape ordinances, etc. may be found on local municipal websites as part of the public comments at planning & zoning meetings, City Council meetings, and staff policy created public comment sessions. You will frequently find those same comments on the WeSERV Government Affairs website as well.
Most often you will find we provide more information than direct request. Even when our Luke AFB/Surprise Map Task Force requested the Surprise City Council change its ordinance, we did not provide language or demand a change. We simply pointed out incongruencies between state law, real estate best practices, and requested the Council reconsider the provisions of the ordinance. We brought it forth at the public comment period at a City Council meeting.
As a local association, we strive to become a resource of accurate real estate industry information to our members, the communities we serve, and local government.
When WeSERV Government Affairs authors studies, reports or white papers, it is in an attempt to illuminate the subject from a business and real estate perspective with private property rights and contract rights being central to our values.
Two recent examples of reports we have authored are the Luke AFB BAH report we provided to Luke AFB in 2021 so they had accurate market context and information with which to request an increase in BAH (housing allowance) with the Pentagon, and our SR-30 study released in December conducted by Rounds Consulting Group, the Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the State Route -30 Freeway, in which we studied the long and short term ramifications of building or not building the full SR-30 as originally conceived.
In both cases you can find the report on www.weservgad.org and we distributed it to several people, cities, towns and organizations. Our goal was for decision makers to have information helpful to the conversations of Luke AFB housing allowance or transportation in the West Valley that will impact not only West Valley economic development and future opportunities, but also Arizona’s future. In both cases we provided accurate, current information within context.
We have had several occasions when a city, town or elected official has come to WeSERV Government Affairs asking for our input on a topic. An example would be cities who asked our input on land use development ordinance changes. We provided information and when asked, sat down with staff and/or elected officials to discuss specific questions they had regarding the long and short term real estate market impacts of specific changes under consideration. Those types of meetings usually include 3-5 members.
Even during election season when we interview candidates, we strive to keep the interviews conversational, informative and educational while show casing our member’s expertise and wiliness to provide information and resources.
Frequently, our member’s questions to candidates will spark curiosity as candidates are introduced to current market conditions and our members seek their perspective. It is not unusual for our inquiries of candidates and local government officials to bring light to a concern or issue they were unaware of, or had little information to consider.
At WeSERV Government Affairs we understand that local government is different than federal or state. For starters, when we speak of local government affairs, we are speaking of our neighbors who serve as elected officials or volunteers on boards and commissions. We know them from the activities of daily life. They are as invested in the community as we are. That allows us to begin from a mutual acknowledgment that WeSERV cares about the community and the local officials and staff care about the community.
It allows us to maintain respectful conversations, even when we clearly disagree with a decision outcome. From our perspective, if the local government is following its already established decision making policies and public comment opportunity guidelines, then the outcomes are what that community wanted at that time. It doesn’t mean those decisions cannot be revisited at another time in the same method. And it doesn’t mean we don’t continue to work with the local government to improve the community.
WeSERV REALTORS® and Affiliate members are part of the fabric of communities by their very nature. Not only are they the people who help others move to the community and remain living in the community over time, but they also help locate business, churches, recreation, entertainment and other economic sectors to communities so people can live, work and play in the community of their choice.
If you would like to be more involved with helping the community you live and work in understand business and the real estate industry, then consider attending a government affairs event, meeting or special event. Most of our events and meetings are held both in person and via Zoom.
This year we are changing the format of WeSERV Government Affairs meetings. We are combining an opening information event and open member forum before the formal government affairs meeting. Members are encouraged and invited to attend all or some of the morning with us. You can find a full calendar of WeSERV Government Affairs events and meetings at www.weservgad.org.
Our February 9th morning meeting and event is a good example of what to expect:
9am – 10am The Homestead Act: Changes You Need to Know
with Mickey Garcia from Pioneer Title and Attorney Diane Drane
10:15a – 10:30a Open member forum – Your hot topics
10:30a-12 noon Government Affairs Meeting
We ask you register to attend this free Government Affairs event in person at our Peoria office or via zoom so that we know to expect you.
I hope you will consider joining us for our February 9th event and meeting as well as special events like our March 22nd Coffee with Representative Lesko at 10am in our Peoria office. We will be rotating events and meetings throughout our chapters, so watch the Government Affairs Event Calendar to see when your chapter will be hosting a Government Affairs event.
Don’t forget, you may watch videos of past Government Affairs events, read blogposts, find maps and listen to the WeSERV podcast of Government Policy, Real Estate and YOU! on the WeSERV Government Affairs website. Our podcasts can also be found on iHeart Radio, Spotify and the C-Suite Radio Network.
WeSERV GAD: Advocating for private property rights, the right to private contract and YOUR business!