November 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 67

Speaker Spotlight:
Patrick Guerriero
By Vitisia Paynich

eattle Innovation Lab keynote speaker Patrick Guerriero is no
stranger to politics. Prior to becoming a founding partner of Civitas Public Affairs, he served two terms as Mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts. It was during his tenure in office that Guerriero oversaw
the reconstruction of the city's infrastructure, as well as an upgrade
of the city's bond rating following a successful re-election bid. Prior to
that, he served three terms as a Massachusetts state representative.
Parks & Recreation magazine caught up with Guerriero to learn
more about his long career in politics, his outlook on today's political
climate, along with valuable takeaways from his keynote, " Key Components of a Successful Campaign. "

Parks & Recreation: You've spent more than two decades in
politics. How do you compare or contrast today's political
climate with your early beginnings in politics?
Patrick Guerriero: When I had the privilege to serve as a Massachusetts state legislator and then Mayor of Melrose, Massachusetts, in
the 1990s and early 2000s, most big policy challenges and opportunities were tackled by working across partisan lines and finding
common ground. Today, we live in an uber-partisan and toxic political
environment that makes it very difficult for the country and its national leaders to address many of the country's biggest challenges.
This is especially true in Washington, D.C. As a result of this, citizens
are turning to local leaders in cities and towns all across the country to help make a tangible difference in people's lives on issues like
the environment, education and health. This is a great opportunity
for mayors and other local-elected officials to lead the way on issues
that impact the day-to-day lives of most Americans in a way that transcends partisanship. Working to ensure that every citizen has access
to a quality park in his or her neighborhood is good policy and good
politics, while also improving economic and health outcomes for residents. With Washington struggling to lead on major issues, this might
actually lead to a generation of transformational leadership on the
local level all across America.

P&R: What are some common misconceptions that park
agencies have about crafting a campaign that engages voters
and ultimately compels them to support park initiatives?
Guerriero: The most common mistake made in crafting park initiatives is failing to understand that a park initiative campaign is actually

Ending on a High Note
Throughout the three-day event,
attendees acquired a wealth of
knowledge from case studies,
panel discussions and an interactive workshop - acquiring the
key tools and strategies needed
to develop their own ballot measure in their community. What's

won or lost before the campaign launches publicly. Preparing for a
winning campaign requires a feasibility study, smart testing of ballot
language, public opinion survey, picking the right ballot timing and
determining the most effective messages and messengers. All of that
work should be done before a campaign is launched.

P&R: What are three important takeaways from your
keynote presentation?
Guerriero: First, voters aren't dumb, so you shouldn't try to fool your
neighbors by being too fancy or too cute about what you are doing
and how much it will cost the average taxpayer. Second, unconventional allies can sometimes be the best advocates for progressive park
initiatives. Winning campaigns should reach beyond the predictable
base of park advocates and find conservatives, business leaders, clergy groups and others who share a belief in the great value of quality
parks. Third, many bold park initiatives have more opponents than you
might imagine, so do opposition research before you launch your campaign so you are ready to counter the opposition.
- Vitisia Paynich, Freelance Writer for
Parks & Recreation magazine

more, they learned how to correspond community needs with
funding sources, as well as how
to design a campaign to meet
those needs.
However, it wasn't all work and
no play, some attendees ended their
Innovation Lab experience with an
optional hike of the Seattle Japa-

nese Garden before heading home.
To download copies of the
presentations, go to www.
n r p a . o r g / e ve n t s / i n n ova t i o n
-labs/innovation-labs-seattlewashington/.
Gina Mullins-Cohen is NRPA's Vice President, Marketing,
Communications and Publications (gcohen@nrpa.org).

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November 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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