Sunday, December 15

Registration Open

Pre-Function Campaign Roadshow

As the nation’s only conference focused on transit ballot measure campaigns, we’re kicking off this year’s Transit Initiatives and Communities Workshop with a focus on community campaigns and coalitions. With a national 82% win rate in 2018 alone, the communities who are winning at the ballot box have a lot to brag about – and a lot of valuable knowledge to share. In this informal pre-function event, transit ballot measure campaigns from communities large and small will be on hand to share their experiences, provide examples of their communications materials, winning campaign plans, and answer your questions. Get a jump start on the workshop with this great learning and networking opportunity.

In this informal pre-function event, experts in running and supporting ballot measure campaigns will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. Use this opportunity to speak with consultants and operatives who have been there - from campaign management, communications, mobilization, digital, data, training, and targeting. Whether your question is specific or a general strategic inquiry, we will have the answer. 

• John Hagner, Partner, Clarity Campaign Labs LLC, Washington, DC

• Chris Cooper, Founder, Convergence Targeted Communications, Washington, DC

• Matt Arnold, Director of Campaigns, CounterPoint Messaging LLC, Nashville, TN

• Kevin Thurman, Independent Consultant; Co-Founder, All for Transportation, Tampa, FL

• Scott Wilkinson, President, AlphaVu, Baltimore, MD

Welcome Reception

Monday, December 16

Continental Breakfast

Registration Open

Opening Session: Building Local and National Transit Community Movement

HART Board Member and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will open the 2019 TIC Workshop with a welcome to the city of Tampa and offer remarks on the continued work to improve the quality and accessibility of public transit for all Tampa citizens and visitors to the Tamp Bay area.

This panel discussion will focus on recent trends we’re seeing on the ground in the 2018 and 2019 elections and what those trends mean for future elections. Understanding the opposition and their tactics, understanding how the 2020 political landscape may impact 2020 ballot measures on the ballot and how to position your campaign and community to adapt to challenges and take advantage of potential opportunities.

• Jane Castor, HART Board Member; Mayor, City of Tampa, Tampa, FL

• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

• Ashley Walker, Partner, Mercury Public Affairs, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

• Tony Cani, Founder, Slingshot Campaigns, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
• Pete Metz, Manager, Transportation Initiatives, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Cincinnati, OH
• Jerome Gray, Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX

General Session: Campaign Debriefs – Learning from Wins and Losses

Campaign Wins
Winning campaigns will present "Ted Talk-Style" presentations sharing the stories of their successful transit ballot measure campaigns.

Nashville Deep Dive
We will take a deep dive into what happened in Nashville. An important debrief to help us learn what to expect from the opposition in future transit ballot initiatives.

• Christopher K. Walton, Broward County Transportation Department, Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Megan E. Owens, Executive Director, Transportation Riders United , Detroit, MI

• David Bragdon, TransitCenter, Inc., New York, NY
• Stephen G. Bland, Chief Executive Officer, WeGo Public Transit, Nashville, TN

Lunch with the Mayors

Hear from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (via video) and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Their remarks will be followed by a facilitated conversation focused around these mayors are transforming cities renowned for their sprawl into public transit success stories. Find out how they've learned from losses to go on to build diverse community coalitions that can win - and defend - public transit initiatives.

• Paul P. Skoutelas, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC

• Eric Garcetti, Mayor, City of Los Angeles; Vice Chair, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA

• Mayor Kate Gallego, City of Phoenix; Vice Chair, Valley Metro, Mesa, AZ

• Laura Bliss, West Coast Bureau Chief, CityLab, Washington, DC

Spotlight on Tampa

After an unsuccessful ballot measure in both 2010 and 2016, Tampa’s local community transit advocates, business leaders, and elected officials learned from what didn’t work and came back to win big in 2018. Hear from our hosts how they built a public transit community movement that won big on Election Day and how they plan to keep up the momentum into the future.

This will include a presentation and video by All for Transportation (AFT).

• Vernonica Cintron, Anchor, Spectrum News, Bay News 9, St. Petersburg, FL
• Bob Buckhorn, former Mayor, City of Tampa, Tampa, FL
• Ashley Walker, Partner, Mercury Public Affairs, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

• Adam Smith, Senior Vice President, Mercury Public Affairs, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

• Christina Barker, Chief of Staff, Vinik Family Office; Co-Founder, All for Transportation, Tampa, FL
• Tyler J. Hudson, Attorney,Gardner Brewer Martinez-Montfort; Co-Founder, All for Transportation, Tampa, FL
• Kevin Thurman, Independent Consultant; Co-Founder, All for Transportation, Tampa, FL
• Rena Frazier, Principal Attorney, Rena Frazier Law; Co-Founder, All for Transportation, Tampa, FL
• Preston Rudie, Founder & CEO, Catalyst Communications Group LLC, Tampa, FL

Data, Messaging, and Building Your Campaign's Foundation

The process of moving your plan from concept to campaign can be demanding, but if done well, you will be positioning yourself for success. In this workshop, hear from season pros about how to build data-driven campaigns. Additionally, you will hear from communication vets talk about disciplined messaging that drives a global narrative, micro-targets the right people with the right message, and protects against your most vulnerable attacks. This session aims to help equip operatives with a stronger base of knowledge to run smart, more effective campaigns.

• Ashley Bauman, Director, Marketing & Communications, City of Tampa, Tampa, FL

• John Hagner, Partner, Clarity Campaign Labs LLC, Washington, DC
• Scott Wilkinson, President, AlphaVu, Baltimore, MD
• Jerome Gray, Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro), Houston, TX

We're All in This Together: Building Opposition-Proof Transit Coalitions

As you’ll hear in earlier sessions, the most important tool in your campaign toolbox will be your transit coalition. From drafting a measure and getting it on the ballot, to turning out the votes on Election Day, to defending your win against the inevitable challenges, strong, diverse, and inclusive coalitions are vital to your city’s transit future. In this workshop we learn how to evaluate our existing coalitions for diversity and inclusiveness, how to expand and strengthen them, and transform them into long-term transit community movements.

• Hon. Henry G. Cisneros, former Mayor of San Antonio; former U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development; Principal and Board Vice Chairman, Siebert William Shank & Co. LLC, San Antonio, TX

• Nse Ufot, Executive Director, The New Georgia Project, Atlanta, GA
• Helen Hwang, Campaign Director, Accelerator for America, Los Angeles, CA
• Megan E. Owens, Executive Director, Transportation Riders United , Detroit, MI

The Role of Transit Agencies in Ballot Transit Measure: Building a Firm Foundation

When it comes to transit ballot measures, the stakes are high for transit agencies, but in many states, campaign finance laws preclude agencies from taking part in campaign activities. How can transit agencies create an environment in which transit ballot measures succeed, while staying well within the bounds of the law? In this session, geared specifically to transit agency leaders and staff, we’ll look at the key ways agencies can create high levels of community support for transit. Creating programs for meaningful community engagement, external communications programs, and, innovative service changes are vital to communities hoping to pass transit ballot measures. Hear from agency leaders and staff, and campaign pros about innovative ways they have created a firm foundation for transit community movements in their communities.

• Brian M. Carter, Vice President, Marketing & Communication, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX

• Christopher K. Walton, Broward County Transportation Department, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Brandy Lynn Jones, Vice President of External Affairs, Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority(SORTA)/Metro, Cincinnati, OH
• Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, St. Petersburg, FL

Win or Lose - What's Next?

Win or lose, our work isn’t over on Election Day. The incredible success of transit ballot measures has drawn the attention of the opposition. No longer enough to just win once, we have to be prepared to defend our wins and plan for the future. In this workshop you will learn how find out how to come back from a defeat, protect your win through legal challenges and the opposition’s own ballot measures. You will learn how to perform a post-election analysis to assess your vulnerabilities, how to keep your transit coalition engaged after Election Day, and be able to ask questions of people who’ve been there.

• Michael I. Schneider, Managing Partner, InfraStrategies LLC, Irvine, CA

• Alex Hudson, Executive Director, Transportation Choices Coalition, Seattle, WA
• Christina Barker, Chief of Staff, Vinik Family Office; Co-Founder, All for Transportation, Tampa, FL
• Gary J Rosenfeld, Retired, Gary J. Rosenfeld, Memphis, TN

Reception

Sponsored by HNTB Corporation

Tuesday, December 17

Continental Breakfast

Registration Open

Center for Transportation Excellence Resources: How We Can Help

Introduction – How CFTE Can Support Your Campaign

APTA created the Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) to serve as a resource in helping communities run successful campaign measures. What exactly does that mean? In this session we will highlight some of the ways CFTE can provide the support to ballot measure initiatives, including messaging resources, research products, industry connections, and strategic guidance.

Understanding Opponents of Public Transit 

We’ll do a deeper dive into the critics of public transportation, core arguments, and recurring themes, as well as the relationship between these critics and well-funded political organizations that weaponize these arguments in elections.

Political Briefing: What’s Happening Right Now and What It Means

Hear from a veteran political operative who gives their hot take of the moment. From Congress up Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House and onto the 2020 campaign trail, what’s happening and what does it all mean.

• Joshua Cohen, Executive Director, APTA Center for Transportation Excellence, Washington, DC

• Devorah Adler, Founder/Principal, Beehive Research, Washington, DC
• Joshua Cohen, Executive Director, APTA Center for Transportation Excellence, Washington, DC
• Ian Moor, Campaign Director, APTA Center for Transportation Excellence, Washington, DC
• Ashley Walker, Partner, Mercury Public Affairs, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Reggie Cardozo, CEO, The Public Square LLC, Tallahassee, FL

Bringing it Home: Mobilizing Your Voters to Win

Your campaign is rolling, you’re getting good press, and everybody loves your Facebook memes, but none of that matters if you aren’t moving people to vote. The difference between winning and losing hinges on having a comprehensive, disciplined field operation to organize and engage your base and then get out the vote on Election Day. Learn about tried and tested organizing and GOTV techniques, as well as the latest tools that will expand your reach and amplify the work of your team. Find out what you need to do now to make sure you aren’t out-organized by the opposition.

• Erin E. McCann, Political Strategist, Saflin, Austin, TX
• Reggie Cardozo, CEO, The Public Square LLC, Tallahassee, FL
• John Hagner, Partner, Clarity Campaign Labs LLC, Washington, DC

Non-Transit, Transit: How to Address Environmental, Gentrification, Equity, and Business Issues

Public transportation is one of the most intersectional issues in public policy. Often in transit-industry circles, issues of gentrification, environmental conservation, and social equity create tension with more traditional economic issues. In this session, we’ll hear from experts in each of these areas as well as engage in a conversation to help navigate the sometimes-tricky dynamics when these issues collide in effected communities.

• Michael I. Schneider, Managing Partner, InfraStrategies LLC, Irvine, CA

• Zachary Accuardi, Technical Advisor, Transportation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC
• Laura Bliss, West Coast Bureau Chief, CityLab, Washington, DC
• Jeffrey F. Boothe, President, Boothe Transit Consulting, LLC, Fairfax, VA
• Nse Ufot, Executive Director, The New Georgia Project, Atlanta, GA

Campaign Ask Me/Tell Me Anything

This is speed-dating meets campaign consulting. Got a problem you want to workshop? Join this high-energy, participatory session staffed by smart, campaign vets to workshop a problem you’re having back home. Come ready to introduce your problem (2-3 minutes), answer questions about your situation, and give these operatives an opportunity to help you break through. Each "case" should be limited to 15 minutes.

DON’T expect to solve all your problems, but DO expect to get expert feedback, new approaches to solving your problem, and an opportunity to follow-up afterward.

Box Lunch/Networking Time