Retailers are the last line of defense in their communities against rules and regulations at the local level.
By Erin Rigik Del Conte, Senior Editor
A session titled “Sticking it to the Local Man: All Politics is Local,” at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Chicago, outlined why retailers need to be involved at the local level and how to begin.
Paige Anderson, director, government relations, NACS, moderated the session, which included insights from speakers Alex Baloga, president and CEO, Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association; Ryan Hanretty, executive director, CIOMA & CSSARA; and Tom Robinson, president, Robinson Oil Corp.
Anderson noted that when c-store industry leaders come together, over and over local issues are the main issues keeping them up at night.
Robinson pointed out that local politics is important because it is often the path of least resistance for groups to push through their agendas. “Everyone would get a federal law, but if you can’t get a federal law, you get a state law. If you can’t find a state that works—this has been a great strategy for lots of different interest groups—local is just a great fertile field to go after,” he said.
While it can take a while to enact local ordinances in multiple locations, the goal behind it is to create momentum to eventual take the objective to a state or even federal level.
It can be challenging for retailers when such ordinances—whether it’s age restrictions on tobacco, a sugary beverage tax or something else—pop up without warning.
Hanretty pointed out it’s also much cheaper for groups to run a little city effort as a testing ground for their issue, perfect their talking points and convince a city council of six people to test out their tax or ban to build momentum. The California plastic bag ban, as an example, was approved in 71 jurisdictions before the state-wide ban was put in place.
“Their goal is to get just enough momentum to where it gets enough media play. Then take it to the people under a huge campaign,” Hanretty said.
Getting Involved
Luckily for retailers, it’s relatively inexpensive to play at the local level and protect their businesses. While the tendency is to wait for issues to arise, it’s best to form relationships before problems develop.
“You can make a $250 contribution to a council member, and you don’t ever get to buy a vote, but you get access to talk. So it’s relatively inexpensive to have access,” Robinson said. He noted frequently retailers have other agendas they are concerned about, like getting approval to upgrade an existing site or acquire a new site. Having relationships with someone at the local level can also make those types of situations easier to navigate.
“Make the effort. Reach out and ask for meeting. Nine times out of 10 they will meet with you if you are a constituent. They are more afraid of you than you are of them. Go see them proactively. Then, hopefully before a big issue comes up, you’ll get a call that says, ‘Hey, this issue is coming up and we’re going to consider it. What do you think about it?’ So you have advanced notice before something is rammed through,” Baloga said.
Hanretty stressed that usually local lawmakers have no idea how your industry works and no real idea how issues can impact your business unless you educate them. “You are the experts. They need your help to understand what the impact is (of a certain piece of legislation) on the ground.”
Anderson added that a lot of local politicians have aspirations to run for higher office one day, and educating them now can be especially beneficial should they succeed in achieving higher levels of office.
Political Engagement Strategy
Look for local chamber events, like a summer barbecue, and support local politicians in order to get onto their list and develop a relationship, Robinson advised. “If a local person calls me and wants money—I don’t care if they are more conservative or liberal than me—someone philosophically aligned with you might not be the one to help you on certain issues,” he added.
NACS offers programs to help retailers share their story and communicate with lawmakers, as well as information on how to contact your representatives.
“We have to think what our message is,” Robinson warned. Crying wolf about bans or taxes putting c-stores out of business are less likely to work. He gave an example using a tobacco age restriction of 21 years old. “You’re saying to this individual who can go to war, get married, etc. that at 18 you need big brother to take care of you. It’s a major disrespect issue to adults. And the reality is people are mobile enough that they’ll buy it someplace else. So the rule is inconveniencing their citizens. Not only that, but they’ll buy it not even in your town anymore, so the local business with employees will be hurt. It will impact jobs. It will pay less in revenues and hurt the city. We can have a long view and continue to push back. We see back tracking for example on the sugar ban.”
Sharing a story that puts into context not just want their doing to your business but also how it will impact the customer and tax revenue is a way to better convey your message.
“At the local level, we are the best last line of defense,” Robinson said.
“You can make a difference,” Anderson said. “We’ve seen the success when your voices unite.”
