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March 15, 2013

Calling on the Capitol

The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Communities, not unlike large businesses, have special interests. Many have hired lobbyists to make their points to state and federal governments. But no paid lobbyist can have the impact of private citizens visiting their seats of government.

Pushing Norman was on the agenda for 25 Norman residents this week as part of the Norman Chamber of Commerce’s annual Washington fly-in. The business, university and community leaders arrived Tuesday in Washington, D.C., for a couple of days of visits with our state’s congressional delegation.

Their topics include the impact of sequestration, work force development, education and federal regulations impacting business. In previous years, federal agencies with interests in Norman, such as NOAA, were visited by the chamber’s entourage.

The trip is time consuming and expensive — most participants paid their own way — and sometimes, the results don’t come for years. But our experience is those personal contacts will always be beneficial for the community.

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