RE: Ways EPA can partner with local government?

[Charlie Atherton <charlie@structurex.net>]

A suggestion to EPA for EPA to partner with local government is for EPA to identify credible, knowledgable, real residents living in the affected area and encourage, help, and support these real residents to work with and to help EPA. These residents can guide EPA through the local government issue and give EPA the history and background of the local environmental issue and the local political food chain.

Once EPA understands the local political food chain as to who really runs local government, and how the local government actually functions, from these real residents, then EPA can begin the parternering process.

It is not necessairly the highest ranking public official that actually runs the local political process.  It may be a barber, cafe owner, mayor, fire chief, school principal, minister, or someone's wife or girlfriend.  

The person on to of the local political food chain is the person that EPA has to first contact and encourage their support.  Once EPA figures out who this person is, then EPA has to follow local customs during the initial contacting process and introduction.  This local custom may be drinking coffee in the back room of a parts house at a specific time of day and day of the week (like is done in one town, all political decisions are made here before the official meetings) and puts the official at ease because it is on his normal turf.

EPA then needs to be very respectful of this person and tell this person how their help to EPA will make them look good as an elected official, and ask this person to identify other officials that he can work with.  Once EPA has two or three officials agreeing to help EPA, then ask these officials what they think EPA needs to do to be successful.  Whatever they suggest, make every attempt to follow their suggestions exactly to show trust and respect to helping them look good.  After EPA caries out a few suggestions, then the process is greased for success.  EPA must also ask these officials their opinion of the real residents that EPA initially contacted and ask if these officials can work with these real residents or do they suggest other residents.  At this point the initial real residents may not care if they are officially involved, if progress is being made.  Some real residents may tell you right up front that it is better if EPA leaves their name out of the discussions.

Every elected official knows how this works and they all do it.  I am writing this because every EPA person may not know this.  Many of EPA's problems are more political than EPA management wants to admit to.  Any time Superfund is involved, it is in conflict with economic development and tax dollars.  Economic development and tax dollars are the lifeblood of local government and local official's re-election... sacred ground.  Charlie Atherton