FEDERAL POLITICAL COORDINATOR

What is an FPC?

Forgive my initial ignorance but yours truly had no idea what this acronym stood for either.  Up until the time a former, dedicated and long-standing FPC and past President of the Tucson Association of REALTORS® Paul Lindsey asked me to consider filling a position he was intending to vacate, I had never heard the term.

So then what is an FPC and what do they do?  An FPC is a Federal Political Coordinator, the grasstops key contact between the National Association of REALTORS® and Congress. As educators/influencers to their members of congress (MOC), the role of the FPC within NAR advocacy is very important. The number one thing they bring to the table is their relationship with their Member of Congress. Many times they were personal friends with the Member of Congress before they came to office. If not, they are strong politically active REALTORS® who quickly build that relationship from the ground up.

The function and purpose of the FPC is to conduct and oversee grassroots activities that develop or maintain a relationship with their members of Congress. They are expected to provide the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) quarterly reports on their interactions and conversations with their Members of Congress to ensure synthesis with what the NAR Advocacy team is doing in Washington. The role is a real commitment of service to the Association and not for the faint of heart. This group of elite REALTORS® is the special forces of our advocacy on Capitol Hill and the expectations around their role are immense. They must attend events and fundraisers back in their District, develop relationships with Hill and District staff, attend FPC training/conferences and promote responses to NAR Calls for Action (CFA) in their congressional district. In addition, FPC’s take on the responsibility to select volunteers (a team) to assist in responding to these grassroots actions.  NAR calls this team member a “Federal Political Contact Member” or (FPCM).

Both the FPC and the FPCM serve as the constituent link to the Members of Congress whose policy decisions affect REALTORS® across the country.  They have an understanding of key issues affecting REALTORS®, maintain a genuine interest in politics, and show a willingness to play an active role in specified NAR grassroots initiatives. These are considered important attributes of an ideal FPC.  REALTOR® advocates on occasion exhibit specialized experiences such as having worked on a candidate’s election campaign or enjoyed the benefits of an existing, close personal relationship with a specific legislator, community or business leader.

Legislators want to know how a specific issue will affect their districts, and they look to the FPC for answers. It is the voice and the experience of the FPC that helps guide their decisions. FPC’s are active in every congressional district across the country.

At present, the state of Arizona has 11 FPC’s.  9 FPC’s for Representatives in each of the Congressional Districts and 1 FPC for each Federal Senator.  You’ll be happy to learn that right here in Southern Arizona we have a total of 3 FPC’s listed below:                                              

Congressional District #3   

Representative Raul Grijalva                     

Congressional District #6   

Representative Juan Ciscomani   

FPC For Senator Mark Kelly

REALTOR® Emeritus James “J.T.” Tsighis

For any information regarding the FPC program or how you may become a Federal Political Contact Member (FPCM) please contact “J.T.” James J. Tsighis at JT@MyRealtyDigest.com

JJT/June 10, 2022