Campaigns Aim to Impress Leadership
Tallahassee, Fla. (November 5, 2009) – One passionate advocate with a name known to Florida households is walking from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys. Another with recent success in raising taxes for children is using public opinion techniques in an attempt to bridge partisan divides. And, another organization led by two child advocates known across the state has launched the Campaign to Protect Children aimed at broadcast and print media and community activists to reach everyday citizens.
Each effort has its own methodology and each is seeking support from a diverse group of leaders and children’s services stakeholders. Yet each has a common motivator: Florida children aren’t faring well and it’s long past time to turn the state in a better direction.
On the various efforts taking shape, Roy Miller, president and founder of the watchdog group, Children’s Campaign, shared this observation: “Everybody I talk to believe the results of the next election are even more crucial to the well-being of children than any of those in the past, with the governor’s race topping the list. Florida needs a leader truly dedicated to children.”
About the Three Efforts
Bud Chiles, son of the beloved Lawton and Rhea Chiles, is tracing the steps along the highways and by-ways his father walked on his way to the United States Senate in a most improbable but successful run nearly forty years ago.
“I remember seeing Lawton Chiles standing with his sign, alone, near the now defunct Central Plaza shopping center on Highway 19 in St. Petersburg,” said Miller. “I was a senior in high school and this was the first statewide campaign I followed from beginning to end.”
Lawton Chiles served with honor in the United States Senate and returned to Florida to be elected twice as Governor. He became known as the “Children’s Governor.” Many yearn for a leader who would stand for children in such a way as to earn the referential praise.
Bud Chiles has dubbed his effort “Worst to First.” According to the Lawton Chiles Foundation, where Bud serves as President, WorstToFirst.org serves to link children’s groups together in a statewide community and increase their influence.
David Lawrence led the referendum campaign that passed a tax for children in Miami-Dade in 2008 with an 85% favorable vote. He has served as president of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation for the past decade and is using the momentum of the children’s tax to jump start a bi-partisan effort to make children more of a priority. The thinking behind the campaign is to promote a couple of issues on which to build broad public support.
A statewide poll, a product of Lawrence, Miami pollster Sergio Bendixen, and the D.C. based Tarrance Group, reflects that 2 of every 3 voters in Florida would support a campaign for children and 2 of every 4 voters would support new taxes if earmarked for children.
Lawrence told webinar participants when releasing the findings that he and his team drove a van across the state to speak with focus groups comprised of two republicans for every democrat to mine for data and options for the public opinion research that followed. Results, as shared at the webinar and with the media in a Miami Herald article, identify the two issues being brought forward: (1) the better screening and treatment for children with special needs and (2) health insurance for children.
Lawrence said in the webinar that asking for more money isn’t necessarily the mantra of the emerging efforts while not ruling it out either. A leadership cadre of known Florida leaders and an advertising campaign is expected to be used to put pressure on elected officials to act.
Roy Miller and Linda Alexionok, president and executive director of Children’s Campaign, Inc., respectively, have launched the Campaign to Protect Children, to raise awareness during the time when citizens are most likely to pay attention – when candidates are running for office.
Bruce Barcelo, public opinion consultant to the Children’s Campaign, said that 2010 will be an unusually critical year in the development of public policy because so many of the key players will be changing. “The leadership of the Executive Branch will be completely rebooted,” Barcelo said. He points out the following:
- With Governor Charlie Crist running for the United States Senate seat, the Governorship is up for election.
- Similarly, Florida’s elected Cabinet will see dramatic changes in the posts of Chief Financial Officer, Attorney General, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
- Compounding the turnover, “domino” races will be occurring throughout Florida as legislators meet term limits and exit the stage.
In short, 2010 will see a sea change in Florida’ leadership. The impact that this change has on the lives of Florida’s children will be great.
Broadcast and print media partners and citizen leaders in two regions of the state have rallied behind theCampaign to Protect Children already and a third region is scheduled to launch in December.
The Southwest Florida event which took place on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University on September 17 and Big Bend / Tallahassee event at Bethel AME Church on October 6 drew more than 400 parents, community leaders, and children. Featured citizen speakers addressed a range of children’s issues including maternal and children’s health, child welfare, pre-k through 12 education, before and after school programs, and juvenile justice.
“The Children’s Campaign is dedicated to systemic reform and going after the higher hanging fruit in public policy”, said Linda Alexionok. “We are pursuing preventive and intervention investment across all of our 5 Promise areas.”
Lawanda Ravoira, partner to the Children’s Campaign, assisted with the televised Town Hall Meeting in Jacksonville which served as the prototype for events to follow. “We don’t and won’t trade kids for kids,” she said during the broadcast when asked about ranking state and local budget cuts.
In Ft. Myers/Naples, WGCU - PBS broadcast the Southwest Florida Town Hall Meeting through multiple airings. The program was filmed and edited by CreativeWorks associated with WJCT-PBS in Jacksonville and featured a lively discussion between leaders, citizens, and providers from both Collier and Lee counties. It can be viewed in its entirety.
Following the Tallahassee town hall meeting, the Tallahassee Democrat ran two front page articles (read article one and article two), as well as a letter to the editor from Children’s Campaign President Roy Miller and Executive Director Linda Alexionok.
Bob Gabordi, Executive Editor of the Tallahassee Democrat, moderated the town hall meeting and was joined by former American Bar Association President Martha Barnett, senior partner of Holland & Knight, Laurie Dozier; president of Mad Dog Construction; former school principal William “Bill” Johnson, small business owner Linda Nelson; and FSU Booster Board member Cassandra Jenkins for presentations on pressing issues facing children in Florida.
Gabordi shared his family’s painful experiences waiting for services for their daughter with special needs. He spoke to the need for real changes and the risk of dire consequences for children if the status quo is maintained.
“To me, this is not about raising taxes, but about investing in children,” said Gabordi in his blog the day preceding the Tallahassee event.
The Tallahassee event was highlighted by 19 year old Florida State University student Jarrid Smith, “I grew up listening to my parents talking about the same problems we are discussing here tonight. I just hope that by the time I have my own children we have solved these and moved on to new problems.”
For more information on the Campaign to Protect Children, contact Roy Miller or Linda Alexionok at 850.425.2600, or at roywmiller@aol.com or lalexionok@iamforkids.org.