By Corky Kyle

I was recently asked a straightforward question: are lobbyists a valuable component in the development of public policy?

After more than four decades working with the Colorado General Assembly, state agencies, local governments, associations and businesses, my answer is yes — but only when professional advocacy is practiced responsibly.

Lobbyists are advocates. We are hired to represent a client, explain that client’s concerns and work toward a particular outcome. We are not neutral observers, and we should never pretend to be. But being an advocate does not prevent a lobbyist from making a positive contribution to the public policy process.

Legislators, regulators and local officials must make decisions on hundreds of complicated issues. They cannot reasonably be expected to understand every profession, industry, community or government program affected by those decisions. A responsible lobbyist can help fill that knowledge gap.

We bring information from the people who will be directly affected by the proposal. We explain how a business operates, how a government program works in practice or how a new requirement may affect a community. We can identify unintended consequences, suggest workable amendments, provide historical background and bring people with different perspectives to the same table.

During my career, I have often entered a discussion to oppose a proposal, only to discover that the better outcome was not to defeat it but to help rewrite it so it achieved its purpose without creating unnecessary costs or unintended consequences. In those situations, the real measure of success was not whether one side won. It was whether the final policy worked better for the people expected to follow, administer or enforce it.

That work does not end when a bill is signed. Public policy is also shaped during agency rulemaking, program implementation and local administration. A law that appears workable on paper may create practical problems when an agency develops regulations or when a city, county, business or professional must implement it. Responsible advocacy can help identify problems early and offer solutions that preserve the law’s intent.

Lobbyists should not, however, claim more credit than we deserve. We do not replace constituents, legislative staff, agency experts, local officials or the public. We do not make the final decisions. That authority belongs to elected and appointed officials who are accountable to the people they serve.

Relationships are part of the process, but relationships should never be confused with entitlement. Experience and credibility may create an opportunity to be heard. They should never guarantee an outcome.

The public is right to expect lobbyists to meet high ethical standards. We should be honest about whom we represent, accurate in the information we provide, respectful of opposing views and transparent about what we are asking government to do. We should never mislead a public official or allow a desire to win to become more important than our integrity.

We also must acknowledge organizations with professional representation may have more time and resources than individual citizens. That reality makes transparency, public participation and ethical conduct even more important.

So, are lobbyists valuable to the policymaking process? In my experience, responsible lobbyists are.

Our value is not simply access to public officials. It is the experience, information, practical knowledge and accountability we bring to legislation, rulemaking and implementation. When that work is performed honestly and responsibly, professional advocacy can help government make better-informed, more practical and more workable decisions.

Corky Kyle is president of The Kyle Group — Hardball Strategies, and has been a professional lobbyist in Colorado for 45 years. He is the author of “Hardball Advocacy: Secrets of the Lobby,” and is a board member of the Colorado Lobbyists Association and The Denver Press Club.