trying to be obstinate or an obstacle, but I do want to help the process work better. I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve done this for so long, because I think that’s an important part of the process, to not just oppose things, but to try and make something work out.

“The hardest part about local government officials is a lot of times they are against things because they don’t like to see mandates forced upon them. They don’t like their taxing authority taken away . . .”

She said Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, herself a former local government official, once had a group of local government liaisons in front of her. She echoed back what they found frustrating, “‘How can we be better? How can we just not oppose things.’” Senator Whipple then answered, “You know, most of this is about money and power, and that’s not going to change.”

Suzette said it is inevitable that they need to go to the legislators and ask for things. One key ingredient is getting local officials involved. They need to talk to their own legislator. Unfortunately, that is not always an