Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/901018
BECOME A PRIMARY CONTACT! Join us at mbaks.com/politicalactioncenter Program; members who have made the effort to meet on an annual basis with their respective legislators outside of Olympia, in their districts, to build these long-term relationships. Not only do we benefit from deepening the trust between our membership and the legislature, our legislators also benefit greatly from hearing how government actions impact the day-to-day business occurring in their communities. Whether the issue is an overly onerous review process, an archaic reporting requirement not yet modernized to account for new technologies, or a misalignment between local jurisdiction resistance to density (compared with the broader public policy goal of focusing Senate scramble to file bills they've been working on over the interim, deliberate over a range of fiscal issues, and are hearing from constituents on any number of emerging issues of concerns within their districts—all to adjourn within the statutorily allotted time frame described above. If we wait until the legislature is in session to start that process, we have already failed. Legislators simply do not have the bandwidth while they are in session to get up to speed on issues they are not yet familiar with to the degree necessary to expect any chance of success. Enter the many committed MBA members willing to participate in the Primary Contacts dense development in our cities and towns), legislators learn a tremendous amount when they get a chance to hear from you, our members. 2017 was a year marked by several very significant accomplishments for the housing industry and these victories did not happen by accident. They were the result of the hard work and persistence of MBA members, alongside our coalition partners, to shift the conversation in Olympia regarding how housing affordability, or attainability, is understood. A key element of this work has happened through our Primary Contacts Program, an accomplishment of which we can all be very proud. MBA lobbyist Dave Ducharme (far left) and members Todd Levitt of Murray Franklyn Family of Companies, and George Newman, Senior Land Use Consultant /Project Manager at Barghausen Consulting Engineers, (far right) flank Senator Lisa Wellman (D) of the 41st District during a recent Primary Contacts meeting at Sen. Wellman's district office in Eastgate (Bellevue). 30 master builder WINTER 2017