Accept the Presence of Permanent Opposition

August 2, 2013

The first step in managing opposition is to acknowledge that it is real, and a permanent feature of every public affairs campaign. However, the “opponents” who fill the community hall during the early public meetings are not the same as the “zealots” who will work against the project at all costs for the entire duration.

The former typically arrive with some skepticism and curiosity, and will see the merits of the project once presented with sensible, fact-based arguments; their numbers will decline in direct proportion to the transparency of the outreach and information.  The latter, which can be usually counted on one or two hands, come to the process with an ideological position and will not acknowledge the positive benefits of the project under any circumstances.  

Opposition is the first rule of politics; accepting the impossibility of convincing the zealots on the merits of a winning project should come as a relief.  These folks represent the “long tail of the bell curve,” so their strident position should actually free-up resources that can be invested in genuine, honest communications with the vast majority of citizens and taxpayers who want plain answers, to understand.