Dealing W/ Politicians
I was approached by a rehabber that is interested in buying some property in New York State. Apparently a state rep who is impressed with some of his prior work wants to help him acuire a piece of property. It would mutually beneficial for the State Rep to see the development in his community and the rehabber wouldnt have to put any upfront money together. The State Rep needs a proposal, the gentlemen has come to me.
i usually write grants, not proposals of this kind. Any advice?
It doesn't surprise me that a politician want to be a silent partner with a developer...
My guess is that he'll want to see a formal Business Proposal that includes an executive summary, site description w/ all zoning implications, a pro forma, a brag list of prior accomplishments, any publicity materials, and a personnel biography....
Your Proposal should articulate and fully utilize all federal, state, and local programs applicable to the project.
Politicians want to be identified with successful people with credentials...
Your proposal should emphasize the benefits to the politicians' 1) pocketbook, and 2) constituency.
[addsig]
a business plan? cool. i definately know how do that. (seeing as i am in business myself. lol)
i guess i was assuming there would be some kind of rehabber or sec. 8 style of writing proposals. i will have to do some research on local zoning and laws, etc.. maybe even see if the neighborhood already has a redevelopment plan.
thanks. anyone else got some tips for me?
If that politician should decide that he would like a great % as time goes by, let me know. I have some land with a hole in it, and...:-D .
Thanks,
OTW
pccreative_com,
Along the lines of your checking for a redevelopment plan, you might want to see what Comprehensive Plan or Master Plan the municipality has adopted. This would lay out the "mission statement" for particular areas and uses. Might find some useful information in there--not to mention some "quotable quotes" to include in the proposal
Research the location and try to understand the politics surrounding this city and neighborhood. Then try to find out this politician's position position on real estate and economic development issues in that location. The local paper should be a great source for both.
Once you have that done, develop a document that will stress economic redbirth, job growth, and increased capital inflow as a result of this project. But make sure that all this happens in a manner that is in line with this politician's views. If he has openly supported focusing on the cultural history and heritage of the area as a means of further development, the that's the way you should go. If he's more oriented towards creating affordable housing for low income families, than that should be your focus. Profit is certainly important. But in this case, I would say that profit is only a close second behind a potential opportunity to show the voters that this politician can get the job done.
Of course all of this also depends on the size of your friend's project. If we're talking about large scale rehabbing, then this is politics first and income second. If it's not being done on a major scale, then it's probably profit first and politics second.
Good luck.