LMR June 2023 FINAL

Picture a serene evening in Louisiana.
A town hall meeting is
in full swing as the mayor narrates
the trials and triumphs
of the community. The next
morning’s headline magnifies
the trials, but skips the triumphs, giving
the impression that the mayor and
council are doing nothing and leaving
lawmakers feeling like the state needs to
have more influence to make progress. I
know too many of you are reading this
and nodding in agreement, because it
has happened to you, but how do you
avoid it? If you’ve never heard me say
this before, I’m going to give you a simple
truth that will help you, so grab a pen,
quote me, and post this on your bathroom
mirror: If you don’t tell your own
story, someone else will tell their version
of your story for you.
Let’s get one thing clear. Your story, your
community’s narrative, is the bedrock of
your advocacy. Each city, town, and village
in Louisiana is a unique tapestry woven
from a blend of history, culture, and
individual experiences. Our uniqueness is
our strength and narrating that distinctness
accurately and compellingly can
move mountains, or at least, turn heads
in Baton Rouge, Washington D.C., and
in your local communities. You not only
have the authority to tell your own story,
but you have a responsibility to do it.
To effectively advocate for your community’s
needs, you must become the storyteller-in-chief,
a role which brings to mind
an idiom that drives the work we do: find
your voice, own your narrative, and captivate
your audience. When you take control
of your narrative, you can drive the conversation,
influencing public perception
and, most importantly, policy-making.
In today’s 24-hour news cycle, the term
“advocacy” takes on new significance.
It’s no longer enough to simply exist as a
city, town, or village in Louisiana; it’s vital
to actively promote your narratives, your
achievements, and your needs. Advocacy,
in this context, is about carving out
your own space in the vast expanse of
information, ensuring your voice is heard.
LMA provides a unified voice for our local
governments, magnifying our influence
on key issues impacting our communities.
By aligning our interests, we can
effect change at a higher level, affecting
policies on infrastructure, taxation, and
quality of life that are vital to our communities.
With effective communication, the
association becomes a powerful platform
for advocacy, propelling the narratives of
our members to the top of state government
and into the halls of Congress.
When it comes to persuading the higher
powers, be it state or federal, to heed our
communities’ needs, the proverbial pen
is often mightier than the sword. However,
wielding this mighty pen requires
skill, strategy, and a story worth telling.
With avenues like the Louisiana Municipal
Review magazine, our weekly e-newsletter,
From the Piney Woods to the Bayous
podcast, and our social media channels,
the LMA ensures our voices echo far and
wide, resonating with the right ears.
As our communities continue to evolve,
so do our means of communication. In
the past, our narratives were bound by
ink and paper, relayed through newspapers
and journals. Today, we have entered
LMR | JUNE 2023 Page 17