The End of an Era

What a sad day.

I was in Massachusetts just yesterday with a House member, and we shared many kind words, stories, and smiles about Senator Ted Kennedy. My whole professional life, Kennedy has been a force in the Senate. He was one of Community Action’s greatest allies. With everything we did, we always knew we had the backstop of Kennedy. When things got out of control, he was always there.

National Community Action Foundation was lucky enough to have him speak at our conferences many times over the years. I personally was lucky enough to have had probably 25 or 30 lunches or dinners with him. We would hold events for him from time to time, and even though we were a small organization among the many that supported him, he always went out of his way to let us know how much he appreciated our support, and would call to thank me before and after every event. He was a man of big ideas, but he always remembered the little things.

Today, our country has lost a statesman who we cannot replace, and Community Action has lost one of our best friends. It’s impossible to imagine a Washington without Teddy Kennedy. Yet, as he put it best, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Weatherization Frustrations Aired During DOE Meeting

In the next 90 days, the Weatherization Assistance Program will enter the most critical juncture since its beginnings in 1975. Stakes are enormous in terms of the future of weatherization.

It is clear that there are many in the Obama Administration expecting home weatherization to kick into high gear very soon. Despite several good reasons why weatherization stimulus dollars remain stalled in a number of states, the administration is actively seeking production numbers in a fairly short time frame.

I had a quite candid meeting at the Department of Energy yesterday, during which we were able to get several mutual frustrations about weatherization out on the table.

It seems some at DOE think the reason that there is not extensive weatherization happening at the local level is because of local hesitancy. Nothing can be further from the truth!

Everywhere I travel, states have been unloading their frustrations about the Department of Energy’s lacking leadership on getting the weatherization stimulus dollars out in a timely manner. State partnerships are awaiting final direction from DOE, and Community Action Agencies and others that do weatherization are raring to go.

There will be serious fallout from the lack of weatherization stimulus dollars flowing at this point. If there are still substantial roadblocks to launching stimulus expenditures in weatherization after the next 90 days, I think some in the administration will be keen on looking at a different delivery model.

The good news is that all parties at yesterday's DOE meeting are committed to having weatherization production increase at the local level and to getting as many roadblocks settled as possible by October.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Health Care Becomes 2010 Election Issue

The National Republican Congressional Committee is growing more comfortable each day that they will capture the House in 2010, largely because of the health care issue. According to a Republican congressman I spoke to late last week, recent NRCC polling shows Democrats have over-reached on the health care issue.

President Obama campaigned on changing the partisan culture in Washington. I know that he is committed to doing that, but the issues are driving partisanship higher than ever. The health care debate is central to this divide.

I think that what happens in the next two or three months will be one of the decisive factors that we have on the outcome of the 2010 elections. It is somewhat unusual that issues like this already are being viewed in the context of elections a year away.

All this is eerily reminiscent of the 1994 midterm elections, when Republican reaped the benefits of mid-year politics and captured the House and Senate. Republican pundits are already saying this is an absolute repeat of that playbook.

Democrats have to move forward on this. The stakes are enormous. Republicans are much less likely to compromise but, in all likelihood, there will be small steps made at the risk of doing nothing.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Kudos to OCS

The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently issued a positive report card for the Office of Community Services. This is great news!

It is gratifying to know that each of the deficiencies that GAO reported on in 2006 has been corrected. With all the challenges facing the Community Action network (heightened public scrutiny related to the stimulus package, 2010 reauthorization and an increased demand for services), we need each of our partners to be strong.

My hat’s off to OCS Acting Director Yolanda Butler and her team. They deserve our congratulations and praise for the good report.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

Will Complete Health Care Reform Be Achieved?

There is not a lot happening on the Hill while Congress is out on August recess. Of course, there certainly is a lot of discussion about health care reform during town hall meetings across the countryside.

Having had the opportunity to meet with a few Democratic senators during state events this month, I definitely have seen divisions between liberal and moderate Democrats related to health care reform. This is one of the reasons I am unsure whether or not they will be able to get a bill done.

They may achieve something, but it may not be complete health care reform. I have a feeling the end result will be less ambitious than the current debate implies.

Stay tuned.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

David's Book List

I recently picked up a book again that I had read a couple years ago about turning good organizations into great organizations. Good to Great, by Jim Collins, is an insightful book that leads me to think about how to reach to the next level with National Community Action Foundation, the Community Action network and my personal life.

Our plate is fuller than it has ever been, but sometimes I stop to wonder how we might do better. On our plate today are discussions with the White House on domestic policy and where our network fits in, establishing new relationships within the departments of a new administration, fielding stimulus implementation frustrations, a partnership with General Motors, a new graduate program with Southern New Hampshire University, and an ExxonMobil partnership on innovative training in weatherization built around Community Action Agencies. Additionally, our political requirements are through the roof, there are a significant number of requests for interacting with the media, and my travel and speaking demands are unbelievable.

We are trying to reach so high, relatively quickly. I think it is good to take a couple steps back, from time to time, and look at how we might be even better. This book provides great inspiration for me in the area of organizational management.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington

P.S. On the occassional weekend, when I really want to escape, I read books about baseball. For those of you who may be interested in a fun, sporty read, I highly recommend Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O’Malley, Baseball’s Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, by Michael D’Antonio. I just finished it, and it is a very good book!

A Bit of Weatherization Heartburn

The Weatherization Assistance Program, both in the stimulus and in the long term, continues to be one of the most difficult programs for us in terms of future direction.

There are those who are pushing to take it off-budget and turn it into a privately funded program. Others are looking to single out initiatives within weatherization. For example, there is some interest in mandating that a large chunk of weatherization dollars be earmarked only for insulation. In addition, the Government Accountability Office is again scrutinizing WAP.

On a very positive note, next Friday National Community Action Foundation will be participating in a weatherization news conference with Sen. Sherrod Brown in Cleveland, Ohio. The news conference will be held in front of a home being weatherized with a small demonstration grant from the NCAF-ExxonMobil partnership. The focus will be on Community Action partnerships, training and job skills related to weatherization.

It is amazing to me that two weeks of work goes into a 30-minute event, but I am extremely pleased with how this press event is shaping up in Cleveland!

Stay tuned.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington