How to Build Legislative Support for Technology Projects

When a CIO explains a new IT initiative, often politicians come to the table with two thoughts in mind, said Richard Varn, CIO of San Antonio. First, they expect the subject to be hard to understand. "And second, you're just speaking dollar signs to them, saying, ‘I want money.'"

Varn knows this situation from all angles. A former CIO of Iowa, he also served in the state's House and Senate from 1982 to1994. He understands the obstacles that get in the way when government officials who manage technology need to communicate with government officials who vote on policy and allocate funds.

Talk about IT with any legislative body and you'll find you're addressing a widely varied audience. "There are those who are going to be ‘techie,' those who are generally aware but not very technological, and those who are certainly unaware of what it is you're talking about," Varn said.

The typical group of elected officials is composed of a broad array of backgrounds, especially citizen-legislators who work outside the halls of government. "Some are running law practices, some are driving buses, some are farmers," said Bert Jarreau, CIO of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and staff liaison to NACo's affiliate, the National Association of County Information Technology Executives (NACITE).

And elected officials have much on their minds besides technology: education, homeland security, economic development, transportation, public health -- and of course, re-election.

Despite these and other challenges, it's crucial for CIOs and their teams to engage elected officials in regular, substantial conversations about IT. Because legislators control policy and purse strings, they are crucial partners in any government IT enterprise. CIOs must win their support for technology initiatives. They also need to stay in touch with the issues that legislators -- and the citizens they represent -- care about, so they can harness technology to address those concerns.

Misinformation Flies
Diverse backgrounds, varied comprehension levels and a focus on cost rather than value are just a few challenges a CIO might face when talking with elected officials.

Others arise when misinformation starts to fly about IT projects and contracts. "We've got to stop our legislators from getting their IT knowledge from news articles that are either not completely true, have some misleading facts or are written to raise the ire of the public," said Ron May, an IT consultant and former Colorado legislator and senator.

In states with term limits, educating legislators about technology issues is especially tricky. Colorado has eight-year term limits; in some states, the limit is six years. "By the time you get somebody really proficient, six or eight years is up and they're gone," May said.

Frequent turnover gives the CIO a constantly shifting audience that also guarantees a constantly shifting agenda the IT department must accommodate.

"In the political world, you have different initiatives that are offered up by different political parties, and that scene changes almost as rapidly as the technology itself," said Phil Montgomery, a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and co-chair of its Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology. Priorities that rise to the top of the agenda -- whether they are calls for universal health care, changes in the tax structure or just about anything else -- force an IT department to revise its own to-do list, complicating the dialog on IT initiatives.

Term limits and turnover are special concerns for Scott McPherson, CIO of the Florida House of Representatives. He regularly needs to adjust his IT plan to fit the agenda of an incoming speaker of the House.