The oft-quoted phrase attributed to former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill – that “all politics is local” – is getting a real test in our current political atmosphere, which seems dominated by broad national and international concerns. We’ve all seen news coverage of various state representatives who field more questions at town halls about immigration or trade with China than they do about their local schools or road maintenance. That is, if those representatives even bother to hold a town hall with their constituents in the first place.
But at ASA, Tip O’Neill’s phrase is more relevant than ever, because the work our state components do is more important than ever. Many of the legislative battles that determine the laws and regulations which affect our practices are fought at the state or even municipal level – and we owe our continued successes to the hard work of our state component...