The Minnesota State Capitol, St. Paul, Minnesota

By Diane M. Calabrese

Message and motivation win elections. Yet without money, even the best platforms developed by the most committed candidates cannot survive. Getting information to the public is expensive, and a cutting-edge Web site is not enough. Traditional audio and video airwaves, flyers, and person-to-person connections all matter, as well. And those costs can add up quickly.

Ideas about public financing of campaigns surface from time to time. However, dollars drive almost every competition for elected office. Money gives candidates a chance to get going and keep going. Giving to candidates promotes free speech.

“Supporting candidates and elected officials who support our issues is a fundamental First Amendment right of all Americans,” says Tim Worke, Director, Highways and Transportation, Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Minnesota, St. Paul. Members of the construction industry aim to ensure that legislators understand the importance of their industry.

“We want to have representatives in public office who believe in infrastructure investment and sound construction policy and regulation,” Worke says. A Political Action Committee (PAC) helps get those representatives elected.

Logistics

In the United States, a political action committee, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect or defeat government officials or to promote legislation. Legally, what constitutes a PAC for purposes of regulation is a matter of state and federal law. Under the Federal Election Campaign (FEC) Act, an organization becomes a “political committee” by receiving contributions or making expenditures in excess of $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election.

The contributions a PAC can make to a national party are limited, as are those it can offer to state and local parties. More generous amounts can generally be given at the state and local levels. It is not just the FEC and the Internal Revenue Service that enforce the rules each PAC must follow. Certain states also impose restrictions and set contribution limits.
Daunting but doable is the way Worke looks at the rules. “It is important to have someone administering your PAC who is well-versed in the laws and regulations. ‘No surprises’ should be the operational principle guiding PAC activity,” Worke says. Contributors should know what they are supporting, and all contributions become part of the public record.

Talking It Over

Participation in a PAC costs money. But it also provides opportunities to get across a point of view or a new piece of information. “Political action contributions put constituents in social situations with politicians,” says Gary Thaden, Government Affairs Director, Minnesota-Dakotas Conference, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

The pleasant environment allows for a discussion free of many workplace stresses. Just talking is a critical part of the way a PAC can help everyone. “Very few politicians
have construction experience or knowledge about the construction industry,” Thaden says. “It is imperative that we be able to communicate how government actions
affect constituents.”

Time spent chatting with political leaders should be used well. It provides the chance to “voice our concerns and opinions about pending legislation,” says Dave Nielsen, Vice President of Parsons Electric. Certain bills under consideration can greatly affect the construction industry. So the more an elected leader knows about the way a vote will affect the industry, the better. The conversation should be inclusive. “Political action committees need to focus on issues related to their specific industry and not on whether the politician is Democrat or Republican or Independent,” Nielsen says. “PACs that are purely party driven should be avoided.”

Facts First

A PAC ensures legislators have the facts. An effort to get the facts out is a top reason people contribute to a PAC rather than contributing directly to a candidate. “The most positive dimension is that the PAC allows for a consistent message to political leaders that I think gets heard,” says Joel Moryn, President of Parsons Electric. “With individual contributions to candidates the message can be different and the lack of consistency drowns out the key message.”

Perfect agreement among PAC contributors should not be expected. But consolidation of interests brings more unity than not. On rare occasions, the consistent message may favor one contributor’s view over another. “This is part of the process,” Moryn says. “You take the good with the not so good.”

Give and take is often required among PAC contributors to form a unified voice. That uniformity becomes powerful when it reaches legislators. Achieving consensus among contributors is easier at the local level, which may account some for the move away from PAC focus at the national level.

Balance

When PAC contributors view the big picture, they generally see results. “Our PAC for the electrical industry is the Electrical Construction Political Action Committee (ECPAC),” says Jeff Ohman, Manager for the Minneapolis Chapter of NECA.

“Through the use of the PAC, we have experienced a success rate of over 80 percent at the federal level in terms of electing or re-electing people that support our positions relative to the electrical industry,” Ohman says. That does not mean that all members of a trade group participate with equal vigor. “Not all members of the association believe in PACs,” Ohman says. “So some will not contribute, but approximately 90 percent do.”

Moryn and Nielsen are extremely active in ECPAC. Nielsen is the Minneapolis Chapter’s delegate to NECA’s Political Leadership Council (PLC). The PLC is a select group of NECA contractors that work very closely with the Government Affairs Department in Washington, D.C., on legislation that affects NECA contractors. Moryn and Nielsen were both at the forefront when NECA chapters in Minnesota formed MN PAC, a PAC fund developed to address issues at the state level.

A PAC does more than facilitate opportunities for constituents to meet with and educate politicians about concerns. It also symbolizes the focus and vitality of a group. “PACs are the public political face of the industry,” Worke says. “A strong and well-funded PAC says a lot about your industry and your issues. Elected officials see PACs as the outgrowths of a politically active, savvy, and involved membership.”

In addition, a high-visibility PAC reminds politicians that their votes and initiatives are being assessed. “They know that we monitor issues and that we are keeping close tabs on them,” Worke says.

For individuals who infrequently have contact with the political process, contributing to a PAC can be intimidating and even perhaps uncomfortable. Some of that is because of the transparency of the PAC contribution. In effect, by reviewing contributors and contributions made to a PAC, anyone can get a snapshot of political opinion. But because there is diversity of opinion within a PAC, though, the contribution alone does not tell the entire story of any individual contributor’s views. What it does indicate is where those with shared interests have found common ground.

The very nature of developing a PAC position on any issue can foster understanding among contributors. That process then feeds a larger understanding at the legislative level. So the positive elements of the PAC are significant.

Reaching Out

The perception that it takes money in the form of a political contribution to make a point to lawmakers is one some find offensive. As a result, they are opposed to PAC participation. When inviting organization members to join a PAC, companies and trade organizations should keep the emphasis on the value of education the PAC can provide to those who craft laws. It will win some over as PAC contributors.

A company or an organization with a PAC wants its voice heard. But its voice brings expertise that informs legislation and improves the legislative process. In the construction industry, for example, experts can help legislators understand everything from new technologies that create a safer workplace to sophisticated methods that eliminate environmental problems on job sites.

There is nothing unique about the use of a PAC in the construction industry. Other groups have made extremely effective use of them. For instance, teachers lobby for increased education funding. Given the vital role that sustainable infrastructure plays in communities and across the nation, participation in a PAC can ultimately benefit everyone. A staggering amount of public funding at all levels — local, state, and federal — goes into supporting construction of schools, prisons, and highways. Input from experts in the construction industry can actually save tax dollars.

“Politics and the decisions that politicians are making on our behalf have become so interwoven with the construction industry that construction leaders need to be informed and involved,” Nielsen says. Monies contributed to PACs affect the industry, and, in the bigger picture, the nation as a whole.

The bottom line is this: A PAC that follows the rules and cultivates understanding bolsters the common good for everyone, whether or not you agree with the PAC’s goals.