By Buffie Patterson, Chair, CORPAC Governing Board
2020 has been quite an eventful year—all around the world there have been natural disasters, political upheavals, protests—peaceful and otherwise, and, to top it all off, we are smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic.
In our REALTOR® community, many are not aware of what CORPAC (Central Ohio REALTORS® Political Action Committee) is, what it does, or how it benefits our clients, our communities, and our industry. CORPAC also benefits us—as individuals. Even more unclear, and perhaps even misunderstood, is the work of the CORPAC Governing Board.
The CORPAC Governing Board is tasked with determining support for candidates running for local political offices with the potential to impact the real estate industry. This process includes developing questions, conducting in-person interviews (or virtual, in the age of the coronavirus), facilitating robust discussion amongst the Board, and ultimately deciding which candidates we will financially support. It is important to note that we support candidates that support REALTOR® issues and our focus is on REALTOR® issues only. CORPAC is a bi-partisan PAC, supporting candidates on both sides of the aisle.
Building relationships with elected officials who impact our day-to-day business is of extreme importance—at the local, state, and federal levels. Most recently, a measurable impact of the work of this group, as well as at the state level, was the decision by Governor DeWine to allow real estate and affiliated professionals to be deemed ‘essential business’ workers, and therefore to be able to continue to work during the shutdown this past Spring, which caused many businesses to close completely for several weeks. This does not happen by accident – the adage, “dig your well before you are thirsty”, holds true.
This year, during the month of August, the CORPAC Governing Board met with those seeking office for the Ohio House of Representatives 25th District. For Franklin County specifically, the offices up for election this year are currently held by what we term ‘friendly incumbents’ seeking re-election. The Columbus, Ohio, and National Association of REALTORS® support incumbents seeking re-election in the seat they currently hold, as long as that candidate remains REALTOR® friendly in their actions, decisions, and the legislation they endorse and support.
CORPAC was created to ensure the promotion and preservation of private property rights and the long-term sustainability and viability of our industry. If you currently support CORPAC financially—thank you! If you need more information about how you can support CORPAC, please reach out to Brent Swander, Columbus REALTORS® Vice President of Government Affairs, or any member of the CORPAC Governing Board or CORPAC Fundraising Committee.
To stay abreast of ongoing issues that impact you, your clients, your neighborhood, your town/city, and your industry, sign up for Brent Swander’s “Three for Thursday” weekly email—you’ll be glad you did!
Be safe out there!
