Today something new. Yesterday it was kids and Riverkeeper. Today I am thinking about the world -- or worlds -- that surround the "moving pieces" of the processes that affect our lives.
So how about taking a look at how a lobbyist for a corporation -- think "Michael Clayton," a classic film rendition -- might function.
Let's take a stab:
Meet "Polly Bennett"
My wife and I had moved to Hudson Falls a couple of years
before the water crisis became public knowledge. Since I’m retired I became active in a
so-called citizens’ action group called Healthy Hudson Water. Polly Bennett was
a mystery to us.
In January, a day before a standing-room-only meeting at the Hudson
Falls library that was organized by Healthy Hudson Water and included officials
from the EPA and state Health Department, Martin received an email from
Patricia Bennett, a vice president with Communication Solutions, who normally
advises corporate clients on environmental matters.
"Hi Dave," Bennett wrote. "What do you think about me
attending tomorrow's meeting, anonymously if possible? I'd really like to see
events for myself, and listen to the EPA rep. I'd hope to blend in, as if I'm a
resident or uninvolved person interested in the issue. But if you think my
attendance would become a focus and you'd get questions about my involvement,
then I don't think it's worth it. My team thinks it would be OK, as long as we
were prepared for me being 'outed.' What do you think?" –
Albany Gazette
When I read that this person had apparently infiltrated
one of our public comment meetings, I was oddly curious. They were… public. Who was she?
 |
| Who is this woman? |
So who might think she could blend in at our CAG meeting? I pictured an unremarkable 50-something. Tweed and gabardine, maybe even a whiff of "Thrift Shop?" Hand sanitizer in her purse… no, maybe not Catherine Zeta-Jones but highly unlikely an OCD.
I needed to know, Who IS "Polly Bennett?"