Who's In Charge? Or Civics 101
 The first step in resolving an issue locally is to figure out
who is in charge: What local official or office has jurisdiction
over the matter in question?
In the U.S. there are three levels of government: Local,
State and Federal and it’s not unusual for jurisdictions
to overlap. Often federal, state and local laws all co-exist
unless there is a conflict. It’s often up to the courts
to decide issues of state-federal jurisdiction or even state-local
jurisdiction if laws are passed that are inconsistent or
in direct conflict with other laws.
Some issues may cross jurisdictions. Bodies of water are
often patrolled by both state and local police officers or
by local police officers and state wildlife wardens. If the
issue relates to navigation, the U.S. Coast Guard or U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers may also have jurisdiction, in addition
to the state. It’s best to start locally and work your
way up the chain of command.
Regardless of the type of local government, someone is in
charge, whether it is a mayor or county commissioner. Local
government has three branches, Executive, Legislative and
Judicial, just like the federal government.
How Local Governments are Organized
Executive: Mayor, City Manager, County Commissioner, County
Executive (titles may vary)
Legislative: City Council, County Council
Judicial: Circuit & County Judges
State Government
Executive: Governor
Legislative: State Senators & Representatives (State
Legislators, Delegates)
Judicial: District Court of Appeals, Appellate Court and
state Supreme Court
Ways to Approach Local Officials
- The key to successfully addressing local issues is to contact
the decision makers to express your opinion. This guide will
show you a variety of ways to do this - whether it entails
e-mailing/writing a letter to the public figure directly,
commenting in writing during a public comment period or speaking
at a public meeting on the issue to express your views.
- Strength in Numbers: In addition to expressing your views,
it helps to encourage like-minded individuals from your town,
city, or state to do the same. BoatU.S. represents you, and
640,000 similar boaters when we speak to Congress on federal
issues, but for local issues, your best allies are other
local boaters.
- In sections to follow, we will give you some suggestions
on how to write legislators, find and rally
local boaters to your cause, and how to generate
media coverage to help
bolster your position or bring attention to a problem.
Table of Contents
Lobbying Toolkit Homepage
Who’s In Charge? Or Civics 101
Writing to Elected Officials
Forming Coalitions
Getting Publicity and Working with the Media
Success Stories and Additional Resources
|
