Hi, Jeff. Thanks for writing, and you would be hard pressed to be too conservative for me. The revelation is, you run a business and have a membership—a following— that will give you a fair listen and likely agree with you. Moreso, they will likely follow your lead in matters they know are near their core, but may have a hard time gaining real education on them— such as which judges ought to be stronger for property rights than others.
This is a lot like what the big unions do. For example, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass defeated Rick Caruso. In my opinion, no one in their right mind, if given a few 30 minute sessions of an interview or asking questions through regular journalistic investigation and observation, would vote for Karen Bass to run a job that Caruso is better qualified for.
Karen Bass is an example of how these big unions work. The unions tell their members who to vote for at the ballot box, and backroom deals are made. The candidate with such union support will in turn support the unions that got them elected.
The point is that you, and every other major housing provider advocacy group business have the ability to influence elections through education, outreach, and member engagement. Tell your members—your following—who to vote for, and make sure they know you did. Publish all your favorites—you don’t have to agree on every candidate, but where you do, the odds are the members are going to vote there or conduct their own research as to why those are your favorites. The odds are that we will mount a stand against the union influence and win a few elections. The newly elected will know we helped them, and represent our shared feelings in the way representative democracy is supposed to work.
We will never effectively defeat or compete with the unions that have hundreds of thousands of members if we don’t enlighten our own 10 or 20 thousand or more members enough to all vote in their own best interests. You have done the research, and possess the access to information very few have. With that, industry leaders and advocacy organizations like your own possess the access to information that many members simply do not have the time or resources to uncover on their own.
That creates an opportunity and a responsibility to help inform and engage members on the issues, policies, and candidates that directly affect their concerns and objectives.
William Shelton, AOA Member
For additional information on candidates and issues impacting housing providers and property rights, you can view AOA’s Voter Guide here.
Editor’s Note: With important local and statewide elections approaching, many members are reaching out to better understand how upcoming measures and policy changes could impact the rental housing industry. Our organization remains committed to providing the advocacy, resources, and tools needed to help protect and advance the best interests of our members.