President’s Message: Political Odd Couple to Headline Chamber Luncheon
Source: Chris Berleth Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce CEO/President
They call themselves “Pennsylvania’s Political Odd Couple,” but I have another description for Alan Novak and T.J. Rooney: the “Statler and Waldorf” of Pennsylvania politics. If you know Muppets, you probably understand the comparison.
Witty, self-deprecating, and perfectly comfortable poking at one another, the political system, and occasionally their own parties, Novak and Rooney’s presentations are funny, candid, and at times disarmingly honest about how politics actually works. Just as the two grumps in the box seats above The Muppet Show often become the best part of the program, Alan and T.J. are most certainly entertaining.
What makes them worth hearing, though, is just how qualified they are to have the conversation.
Qualified without taking themselves too seriously
Alan Novak is a former chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party and has spent decades in politics, public affairs, and government relations. T.J. Rooney served seven terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before later serving as chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Between them, they have worked inside campaigns, government, party politics and public policy at nearly every level.
And because they come from different political traditions, they do not simply deliver competing talking points. They challenge one another, test assumptions, and help audiences better understand what is happening beneath the surface. That is one of the reasons we are particularly excited to welcome them to Columbia and Montour Counties on October 13.
Limited resources require us to be intentional and strategic
Advocacy is one of the Chamber’s five areas of focus, but ours is a decidedly hands-on operation. We do not employ a lobbyist. Our Governmental Affairs Committee and Chamber staff are our government affairs team.
That means we must be intentional about building relationships, staying informed, and creating opportunities for our members to better understand the decisions being made in D.C., Harrisburg, county seats, and among all the municipalities whose decisions impact business. In a commonwealth system, there’s no shortage of rooms to be in! To be effective, we also need to understand and make known to our members the political environment shaping those decisions. Alan and T.J. offer exactly that kind of perspective.
There is no shortage of people willing to tell us what Pennsylvania should do. What is far more useful to our members is insight into what can realistically happen next.
Which ideas have momentum? Which face serious political obstacles? Where is compromise possible? What pressures are shaping legislators and party leaders? And how might those realities affect the issues employers care about most?
Those are the kinds of questions Alan and T.J. are particularly well equipped to answer.
That distinction is especially important in the current political climate. Strong opinions and partisan talking points are easy to find. Understanding how those positions collide with divided government, legislative math, personalities, relationships, and political realities is much harder. With how heady the topics can be, identifying speakers who can also be candid makes the conversation just a little bit lighter.
The Chamber’s goal is not to bring speakers to Columbia and Montour Counties simply to add another political speech to the calendar. We want to connect our members with people who can help us understand the landscape well enough to make our own advocacy smarter and more effective.
Throughout the year, our Chamber engages elected officials and policymakers on issues directly affecting local employers, including workforce, childcare, housing, transportation, energy, healthcare, permitting, and economic development. We work with organizations including the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the U.S. Chamber, participate in legislative discussions, and bring policymakers together with employers here at home. With limited resources, we must make those opportunities count.
This means listening as well as speaking, understanding the political environment before deciding where our voice can be most effective, and connecting our members with people who can help us look beyond the latest headline and better understand what may be coming next.
If you care about the future political and policy direction of Pennsylvania — particularly how it may affect your business and our communities, we think this is a conversation worth being part of.
Statler and Waldorf are among the best parts of The Muppet Show because they occupy a unique place in it: close enough to understand the show, detached enough to mock its absurdities, and devoted enough to never miss an episode. To stretch the comparison, you don’t need to catch every episode. With your limited time, attend this one and get a front-row seat for a belly-laugh and some Grade A insights that hearken back to the days when we didn’t take ourselves so seriously.
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The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce represents local employers in supporting vibrant, sustainable communities in Columbia a
nd Montour Counties. For more information about the region’s top businesses, visit www.columbiamontourchamber.com.
