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How to Garner Favor with Those Getting Checks

Yes, I have an emergency management twist to this story.

This information is in the news today, In unprecedented move, Treasury orders Trump’s name printed on stimulus checks.

Which reminded me of a story from way back when. When I was working at Washington State Emergency Management, we had a recovery manager who worked the public Assistance (PA) aspect of disaster recovery. These are federal funds that go to help restore or replace public infrastructure damaged or destroyed in a disaster.

This is the early 1990s so paper checks were still in use. Well, the then-recovery manager fancied that he would like one day to become the Washington State Emergency Management director. To garner favor and hopefully support from the agencies/people with whom he worked and supported with recovery efforts, he made it a practice that when the check was finally cut providing federal money and reimbursement for the recovery work, he would personally carry the check to the individual responsible and put it in their hand. He didn't mail them, no; he handed it to them as a "reminder" of why they are getting these millions of dollars. 

No, he never did become the emergency management director and I expect he claimed the miles driven delivering the checks. 

Don't expect to get a check from me anytime soon!

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.