Capitol Gains

Troy Olsen is one of the most unassuming men you will ever meet. Jolly might be the word that pops into your head when shaking his hand for the first time. His face evokes boyish features despite his middle-aged years. His open and kind nature expressed in clear, grey eyes and a calm soothing voice immediately puts you at ease. Midwestern values are revealed in a humble demeanor, and you can easily get swept away in his love of history whenever he talks about it. If not for his perpetual uniform of suit and tie, you would never guess he is in a profession that requires sharp intelligence, nimble people skills, and the intimate know-how of our legislature and its systems. He spent 20 years as a House of Representative’s staff member, ending as the chief of sergeant-at-arms. Today, Troy is a well-known and respected lobbyist at Minnesota’s Capitol.

Before I started work in community relations with the North Metro Mayors Association, I had a lot of misconceptions about what a lobbyist is and does. I held them as a whole in low regard, thinking they were merely “big sticks for hire.” I’m embarrassed to say mainstream Hollywood and unfavorable media were my main resources for that opinion.

But in the last couple years I have been lucky to have a chance to understand—and work with—some of Minnesota’s best, including Troy Olsen, the lead lobbyist for North Metro Mayors. I know now that a good lobbyist is an informed educator that our most successful legislators rely on to understand the huge amounts of complicated data in our bills—in proposed and passed (bills) alike. A good lobbyist needs to demonstrate accuracy and integrity for as long as they wish to have a career, as it doesn’t take long for a bad reputation to force them out of the capitol, at least here in Minnesota.

I spent an afternoon with Troy to chat about some of his views about our political landscape and why politics is important.

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You’ve spent a lot of years at the Capitol, getting to know all the different aspects and challenges. What would you say is “new” there in ideas or policy?

In my 20 years of legislative activity, I have observed there seem to be fairly few truly new ideas and that many important issues take a long time to be resolved. A great example is the construction and connection of Highway 10, 610 and I-94 which took 30-40 years and the project still requires one more round of funding to complete.

By design, our system of lawmaking contains checks and balances so that public policy takes time to develop and is well-vetted before becoming law. We see this process unfold as we watch the evolution of legislation as it travels from its original conception, introduction to the legislature, travels through the committee process, is subject to negotiations between legislators, receives input from those affected by the legislation and advice from agencies or entities that will implement the new law.

I often read about the “gridlock” in politics. Publicly, it seems no one (Republicans or Democrats) is willing or able to problem solve. How many would you say actually are able to problem solve?

Most are. The public just doesn’t hear about it as often as we should. Passionate sound bites are what get the attention today. But the people who work there every day can see that, truly, most legislators are willing to work together and hear each other out regardless of party identity.

Because contentious issues tend to garner the most attention, most people do not realize how much does get done in a bi-partisan manner. If you look through the House and Senate Journals and research the votes on bills that are not large funding packages, one finds that most of the bills that pass do so with bi-partisan votes. Even the final versions of large funding bills tend to receive support from both sides of the isle at the end of the process.

Many of us see politicians as right or left and we perceive lots of political drama. What's it really like at the Capitol? Is there more moderate behavior than gets reported?

America is a two party system and pretty much has been since George Washington’s second term as president. For both parties, what might be seen as some to be a rigid ideological position may actually be a strongly held individual core value for an individual legislator that happens to fit into a particular political party. The abortion debate is a good example of that in that both sides tend to see the other as “rigid” or “extreme” and there is very little middle ground. America’s early history holds plenty of examples of politicians who held “rigid” ideological positions. The political battles between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson are epic. It is possible that today’s “political drama” is not that much different than back in the early days of this nation.

Let’s talk about fake news. Misinformation is incredibly prevalent and spreads quickly on social media sites. How and what media platforms do you and your most respected colleagues use to get your information?

At the Capitol, print news can frequently be outdated the moment the ink hits the paper. I get a lot of my Capitol news via trusted sources on Twitter. Since most lobbyists are in-tune with what is happening around us, we can easily digest news delivered in the 146 characters of a Tweet. Minnesota is blessed to have an outstanding Capitol Press Corps who take pride in accurately reporting the happenings in St. Paul. The members of the press corps also hold each other accountable and though they consider themselves friends, they still compete for stories and are not afraid to publicly correct each other if something isn’t reported factually.

It is also important to have an ability to anticipate what the news will be during the legislative session. This is easier for those of us who are at the Capitol following the legislative process on a daily basis than individuals watching from afar. The public should be skeptical of any news that seems extreme or outlandish and always consider the source and tone of the news.

Politically we are in opposition. I have always appreciated our ability to have conversations with ease and trust. I rely on you to present opposing information and perspectives that I know aren’t colored by a debilitating bias. Who do you rely on for different information/perspectives?

An important part of a lobbyist’s job is to educate legislators. Good lobbyists are willing and able to present both sides of an argument while presenting their case as to why/why not a legislator should support/oppose legislation they are being lobbied for/against. Lobbyists advocate on behalf of their clients, but must do so in an honest and educating way. I really don’t rely on a single source for a balanced perspective though non-partisan staff at the legislature can be very helpful because they summarize legislation and answer questions in a neutral way.

As a lobbyist, I observe and learn from other lobbyists who demonstrate an ability to articulate both sides of an argument to get to a balanced perspective yet strongly are able to advocate on behalf of their cause or client.

What’s your favorite thing about being a lobbyist?

The people. I genuinely like the people! I grew up in a small town and the Capitol reminds me culturally of a small town. I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible people (Republicans, Democrats and non-partisans) and am excited every day to go to work to do good things. The best legislators are the problem solvers. Most legislators can look at things in a non-political way because a lot of legislators came from other civic positions like a mayor or city council member. These roles provide good training and practice to work in a bipartisan way.

Do you think you’ll ever tire of being in politics?

There are things that make me tired, like the nasty tearing down that appears to be common in campaigns these days. But politics, the processes and the people at the Capitol are in my blood. Just like living in a small town, we all ultimately decide that the benefits of being part of our community is worth the payment of few bumps along the way. That the gains far outweigh the losses.

To learn more about Troy Olsen and his role at North Metro Mayors, you can go HERE. To learn more about North Metro Mayors, a civic non-profit collaborative of 15 cities, you can go HERE.

Photos courtesy of Mandy Meisner at North Metro Mayors Association.