MAR can help you prepare for the recommendation process
As the winter sludge gives way to spring, many state and federal legislators are gearing up for a crucial election year. On the state level, the Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, all 110 State House seats, and 38 Senate seats are up for grabs.
As you may know, the interview and endorsement process for the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State races will be handled at the state level by your duly appointed RPAC Trustees. However, the interview process for each seat in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate is up to the local associations.
This year, the filing deadline for candidates wishing to run for state House and Senate is
May 11th. Candidates then have three days to decide if they would like to withdraw their name. Often times this happens when people file and then realize that their chances of winning are quite slim based on who the other candidates are or after spending several months trying to raise money and not being successful. Shortly after these deadlines have passed, local association leadership or the association executive can contact each of the candidates via letter or phone call, inviting them to an interview with the candidate selection/government affairs committee, which is established based on the prerogatives of each local association.
Several factors are then weighed, including the candidate’s voting record (if they are an incumbent seeking re-election), their overall philosophy on the role of government in real estate related matters, willingness to work with us on important policy issues, and the general likelihood of them being elected in November. The selection committees within your local (government affairs committee, etc.) then make their recommendations of who to support and how much RPAC money to contribute to their campaigns. These recommendations are forwarded to the local board of directors, who, after approving or rejecting the committees’ choices, send them off to the state RPAC Trustees for consideration, approval, and disbursement of funds. Most of the time, the endorsements carry through to the general election and a second interview is not needed. However, on the somewhat rare occasions when a local association picks a candidate who loses in the primary, they are encouraged to meet with the winner and find common ground for support in the general election.
The MAR will be sending out updated ‘
Candidate Interview Manuals’ in the coming weeks, so watch your mailbox. Please contact the MAR Public Policy staff for any questions that may arise in starting the interview process. The MAR is more than happy to work with each local association to ensure a smooth and painless election season.
Mark your calendars for the 2010 Broker Summit being held April 27, 2010 at the Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth. The event will host brokers from around the state for one day of education, networking and more! Early Registration will be $119 for MAR Members, and $149 after the early registration deadline. Confirmed speakers for the event include Mona Steen with a session on the REALTOR® Property Resource Update, Greg McClelland & Gail Anderson on Broker Legal Issues and John McArdle on
Houselogic.com.
Registration and the 2010 Broker Summit Web site will open tomorrow, Wednesday, February 24. As always, please forward any information on the Broker Summit to your broker members who can benefit from attending the event where Michigan brokers unite to improve!
Late last year, in response to ongoing input from state and local associations across the country, NAR announced the formation of the REALTOR® Association Membership system Cooperative (RAMCO). This cooperative is charged with developing an association management system that fulfills the changing needs of REALTOR® associations and REALTOR® Multiple Listing Services that choose to participate to create, providing support for and managing a comprehensive data solution.
Set to debut in March 2011, this database system solution will offer local associations and multiple listing services another option for managing their operations, from membership data to event planning to education and more. The system will be fully compliant with NAR Central Database requirement of November, 2011. Most recently, the project team has hired Mike Cutlip, former Director of IT from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®, as its Technical Coordinator.
Click here to learn more about RAMCO MAR Memberships System Coordinator, Julie Rowell, who provides data system support to local associations across Michigan, served on the initial workgroup. If you have questions about your membership system, or need some assistance with data management, you can reach Julie at
jrowell@mirealtors.com.
In October of 2009, the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE) released important data collected from a survey measuring the impact of the economy on Michigan associations. This new set of data was collected from 120 organizations representing a variety of budget sizes and industries.
1. The economy is impacting all organizations.
- Data was not significantly different in associations from all ranges of budget size, geography, or industry sector.
- The economic impact has been felt by all groups fairly equally.
- Half of responses expect a decrease in association revenue and expenses.
- 37% believe that Michigan’s economy will worsen, 37% believe that it will stay the same, and 27% believe that it will improve.
2. Staffs are doing more with less.
35% of responders claim the number of full-time staff members has decreased in their organization, while 58% indicated no change.
- 29% of associations reported they experienced an increase of 18% in queries to association staff, which take time and effort to answer.
- Non-dues revenue has declined 23% for a third of the associations.
- Renewals of existing members declined by 10% for half of the organizations polled.
3. Responses to economic changes are innovative.
Associations are not:
o implementing furlough days
o reducing staff hours
o increasing outsourcing
Instead, they are:
o adjusting revenue projections
o increasing outreach to members
o applying hiring freezes
o providing more web-based services
o redesigning programs
o delaying dues increases.
Hit the Jackpot on Friday March 19, by attending the information packed On the MARk meeting! MAR's own Bill Martin, Kathie Feldpausch, and Rob Campau gather Association Executives from around the state to share with you the latest news, events, and coming attractions. The program will begin at 10:30 am at the MAR office, with a break for lunch, followed by an MRAEC business meeting. If you haven't already done so, please RSVP with
Shelley Albert.
Local Focus: Traverse Area Association of REALTORS®
TAAR's Education and Outreach Manager Bill Costley recently completed a voluntary Green Designation Course, and he is now considered REBAC certified. The Green designee count in TAAR has now reached over 50. Thanks to Bill’s completion of this course,
Read more...
Throughout the United States there is a growing concern about the high costs of long term care and the impact those costs have on financial security, retirement planning and quality of family life.
In response to this concern, MAR members, and their eligible relatives, can now receive a premium discount on Great American Life long term care insurance products through the MAR Edge member benefit program.
For more information on the long term care insurance discounts please contact Great American Life's long term care help line at 800.557.5721.
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