So, do you do it? If you can submit up to $25 without a receipt and you only had a $3.79 cup of coffee, how much do you put in the expense report box?  Does the company policy and threat of being fired influence the amount you put in the box?

I’ve unfortunately witnessed co-workers throwing away solid careers over just a few dollars; buying a plane ticket but having it credited and turning in the original receipt; a manager having a subordinate pick up a late night Vegas tab so that the approval email comes to his email and not his boss’s.   I’ve seen people legally work within the policy but still find a way to rob the company blind.

Why then do so many successful companies continue to have Expense Report policies knowing some will still find a way to cheat the system?

With all the Ethics Reform articles being posted, consider this your Open Thread on whether or not a pledge on paper will keep folks honest with the paperwork.

Pocketbook Politics is geared toward “professional women watching their dollars and making sense of public policy.”  The last conference call was a legislative update from Rep. Lynne Riley.  What I like about the calls is that a lot of information is relayed in a short amount of time.  We’re all busy professional women – Mama’s got work to do.

As with any group, you’re not going to agree with everything that is said.  I like the education aspect of it; Information is always powerful.  Every woman I’ve met at a Pocketbook Politics event has been top notch.

The next call is next Tuesday, June 12 at 1pm.  If you’d like to sit in on the call, rsvp to events@pocketbookpolitics.org by tomorrow Noon.  Conference call information will be emailed to you next Monday.

Tuesday’s speaker will be Sonja Eddings Brown.

Ms. Brown, a media consultant in Los Angeles, is the President and Founder of TheKitchenCabinet.US which is now the largest coalition of conservative women in the nation.  Sonja Brown has united the top conservative women’s leaders in America and is spearheading a massive grassroots effort to bring forward a million new women voters in the November 2012 election.  Ms. Brown co-founded the largest charter school in the country after a heated and ground-breaking challenge of the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers union.  Granada Hills Charter High School serves 4000 students and employs 300 staff.  It is ranked as one of the top high schools in America and is a lighthouse to education reformers across the country.  Ms. Brown has advised public figures of all kinds, including U.S. Olympic athletes, celebrities and political candidates.

p.s.  Comically, my HBR Daily Stat arrived as I was drafting this post.    I’m personally a fan of the Alpha Male, but the term “Pink-Collar” tickled me…pink

Men Are More Willing to Take “Pink-Collar” Jobs:  The proportion of registered nurses who are male rose from 8.4% to 10.5% between 2000 and 2010, a sign that men are encroaching on female-dominated occupations in the U.S.   Jobs such as nursing and teaching offer financial stability and good quality of life, and now that gender stereotypes are eroding, men are more willing to enter what used to be known as “pink-collar” jobs.

There’s a LOT going on in my little slice of heaven. One of them happens to be the race for Chairman of the Cobb Board of Commissioners. It’s fitting that the vote is on the same day as the TSPLOST vote because that’s largely what the chairman’s race centers around.

There are four candidates running: Tim Lee, Bill Byrne, Mike Boyce, and Larry Savage. Another way to say it: a Pro-TSPLOST incumbent and the three men with roughly the same message trying to defeat him. As a Cobb resident, my taxes were raised three times last year, and I will say I could support any candidate who’s committed to keeping Cobb fiscally conservative.

Cobb has five commissioners: four districts plus the chairman.  And while the commissioners appear on the ballot as four Republicans and one Democrat, the votes are usually 3-2 for tax increases instead of choosing from a long list of cuts recommended by the Citizen Oversight Committee.

I attended the candidate forum last Wednesday night at the East Cobb Library.  Each candidate weighed in on twelve questions.  I won’t bore you with listing the questions or their responses, but I was able to decide who gets my vote.  I will keep that personal opinion off the front page, but for any voters against the TSPLOST, you’ll want to pay attention to this race.

As mentioned, the TSPLOST vote happens to be on the same day as the Chairman’s race – July 31.  Soon.  The incumbent is heartily backed by the Cobb Chamber.  And while I think it’s vital to Cobb’s success that the Chairman has a good relationship with the Chamber, my point is that this brings the incumbent a lot of resources the other candidates don’t have.  The most recent Cobb SPLOST won by 79 votes.  Add in the Untie Cobb marketing onslaught leading up to July 31, and the political consultant who delivered the Cobb SPLOST victory with targeted voter turnout could potentially deliver the incumbent a 50+1 victory.

As I chatted at the monthly Cobb GOP breakfast this past Saturday, there was a general expectation that “of course it’ll go into a runoff”, but I’m not convinced.  In another tapestry, this thread weaves over into the potential of Cobb suing if TSPLOST passes; the safety net.  It is my understanding that Cobb can only sue by a majority vote of the Board of Commissioners.  I’m sure some of you attorney types can confirm or deny.  No runoff puts a bit of a kibosh to a favorable 3-2 vote.

This isn’t new information for the TIA team.  I don’t, however, think the Cobb grassroots folks have given this race the weight and recognition it deserves.  My hope is that the fiscally conservative candidates get some resources from concerned parties…quickly.  Political consultants and volunteers unite.  We’ve got work to do.

My name is Bridget.  You might recognize me as a commenter, and I’m very excited to be a new front page poster.  I enjoy politics, travel, and all things geek or psychology.  It’s always easiest to write lines and lines about yourself, but I’ll keep it brief and hit the some of the highlights that will probably influence my posts:

I …

• have lived in Cobb County my entire life…even went to college here.  I grew up in Smyrna and have owned a home in Marietta for about nine years.  My interest in both Cobb County politics and the Board of Regents is not haphazard.
• put myself through school with no debt after I graduated although neither of my parents had a high school education.  It can be done.  I wish 99% of the 99% would take an honest look in the mirror. It’s YOUR responsibility to upgrade yourself.
• happen to know first hand that green technology can consistently offer a 3yr or less simple payback if designed correctly.  Prior to my current gig, the last twelve years of my career was centered around building automation and energy management.  I like to check in on the PSC.
• can most closely be defined as a fiscal conservative.
• served as an officer for the Atlanta YRs, then Cobb YRs, and now sit on a committee for the Cobb GOP.  As the AYR Women Director, my goal was to recruit more young women to the conservative cause – you’re welcome, gentlemen.
• have a CWP and keep up with 2nd Amendment and human trafficking issues.
• read a lot, and I’m always looking for good books if you have any recommendations.  My two favorite quotes are “When you know better, you do better.” and “People try to teach what they most need to know.”
• try not to get overly worked up over things.  Hardly anything is ever a true checkmate; there’s always a next move.

If you’d like to contact me about a post, you can reach me at bridget.cantrell[at]gmail.com. Don’t spam me, or I’ll simply filter you to the Trash.

I’ve learned that being loud isn’t the same as being effective.  With that being said… is this thing on?

Cheers,

Bridg

For those who follow Georgia politics, you might already know that I debuted as a front page poster for the Peach Pundit this week.  I’ll be posting there a couple of times a week now and will cross post the articles here.

I hope you enjoy…

I met up with two former legislators and a former aide tonight.  No formal agenda – just chit chatting.  I heard all sorts of stories about lobbyists and legislators that simply disgusted me.  I won’t go into details, but it was just sad.  They shared with complete sincerity to not go into lobbying (yes, it crossed my mind) unless I was willing to sleep with people for votes.  I did not in any way get the feeling they were being dramatic or funny – it simply sounded like a fact.

I was told that THIS legislator would indeed give you his vote if you slept with him.  Ladies, if I told you who to Google Image, you’d gag a little.

I was told THESE legislators shared a condo with a mistress.  And THIS lobbyist is “well-known”.

I was told THIS lobbyist didn’t have to bother going to House meetings when the bill would just get shut down in the Senate…over “dinner.”

I was told how legislators were kept in line.

So, where does this leave me?  The “cute blonde”… with brains AND a conscience?  A contract lobbyist is put in compromising positions, and a legislator is intimidated into voting the party line out of fear of retribution.

I’m wondering if my role isn’t simply to get the right information where it needs to go.  Maybe my role isn’t to be a lobbyist or a legislator – it’s to discern what’s shared with me and get it to the best person to effect positive change.

Lots to sift through as I figure out what I want my role in politics to be…

Tonight was the Cobb GOP Mass Precinct training.  The officers, precinct captains, and registration team met at HQ to do fire drills for Saturday’s main event.

As mentioned in my last post, this is the first year the Cobb GOP is offering pre-registration.  Around 375 people have pre-registered.  600 people attended last year’s mass precincts for reference.  Pre-registration closes tonight at Midnight.  Do it – sign up in the next hour.

For those who will be registering onsite at 8am Saturday morning, you will be filling out a registration form by hand.  Then we’ll be adding all of your information to the database by hand.  Then we’ll check your photo ID by hand (and face).  Then we’ll be looking you up on the SOS website.  Then we’ll be cross-referencing your district and precinct numbers, filling out the rest of the form by hand, signing your form, and giving you a pleasant smile.  Nexxt.

For those who pre-registered, Jim Phillips and Ben Weinberg made it very easy for all of us by doing all of this work in advance.  We’ll be matching your photo ID with your printed email and then giving you a smile that feels like a manly high-five.

See you Saturday!

p.s.  Forget being a grassroots activist for years – my nametag has arrived.  I am official.  Woot woot.

]]> http://www.theworldaccordingtobridget.com/pre-gaming-mass-precinct-training-tonight/feed/ 2 http://www.theworldaccordingtobridget.com/another-first-for-the-cobb-gop/ http://www.theworldaccordingtobridget.com/another-first-for-the-cobb-gop/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:15:28 +0000 Bridget http://www.theworldaccordingtobridget.com/?p=187 Continue reading »]]> Hellooooo, technology and organization!

Last year’s annual Fourth of July BBQ marked the first year attendees could buy tickets to the event online.  In that vein, the upcoming Mass Precincts mark the first year Cobb voters can pre-register online.

The 2010 Mass Precincts were of particular interest to those in the Cobb GOP because two Cobb Countians were running for State Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.  For those unfamiliar with the process, there are four sequential steps to be taken in order to attend the Georgia State Convention; Mass Precincts being the first.  Because of our support of the candidates in a very close race, Cobb Mass Precincts were well-attended and well – a little chaotic to say the least.

This year’s draw will be of course to make it to the State Convention to participate in nominating the Republican candidate for President.  Here’s a one-page overview of the steps leading to State Convention.  Precinct Caucus is right around the corner - Saturday, Feb 18.

From the Cobb GOP website:

The Georgia GOP and Cobb GOP are strong, expanding grassroots organizations. In Presidential election years, conventions are held from the precinct to the national level – yielding national delegates who will represent us in maintaining distinct public policy in our platform.

Locally, the first step in the 2012 convention cycle is the Cobb GOP Precinct Mass Meeting. It takes place on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at 10:00 am.

The location is Roswell Street Baptist Church, Marietta GA. Please enter the front of Building C (Worship Center) on the Roswell Street side.

Participants in the Precinct Mass Meeting will elect delegates/alternates to the Cobb GOP County Convention in March.

This year, online preregistration is available in order to facilitate your admission to the event. Both preregistration and admission to the meeting are free of charge.

Here is the Cobb GOP pre-registration page.

Pre-registration is important because you can’t be admitted inside the doors until you’re verified as a registered voter.  Voters will be placed into precincts (as in physically separated into areas organized by precinct number) and then they will determine delegates and alternates to the County Convention.

In order to do this, the Registration Team will need to confirm each voter’s precinct by cross-referencing your information with a database.  You can see how pre-entering and pre-verifying this information ahead of time would make Sat, Feb 18th flow a lot smoother, right??

Be a champ.  Pre-register.  You’re the smart one.  You’ll be using the “corral time” to enjoy coffee and donuts with other savvy Republicans – not standing in line to register onsite, right?

I just pre-registered myself from this site and confirmed the entry form is working.  You will receive a confirmation email 10-15 mins later that you’ll need to print and bring with you to the Precinct Mass Meeting.  It shows your precinct – mine is “Precinct: Marietta 4B (MR4B)” for example.  After you check in on Saturday, you’ll look for the room for your particular precinct.

SUPER IMPORTANT: When it says 10am – it means be IN the doors and accounted for by 10am.  I’ll be there at 7:30am (sighh) and suggest you get there no later than 9:15am or so.  …Let your mind go to the scene of Joe Clark chaining the doors in Lean on Me.

Eric Thorsen (email) is leading the registration effort and is really on top of things.  I’m also on the Registration Team if there are any questions I can answer.

Look for me on the 18th – I’ll be one of the Nerd Herd volunteers at the Registration table.

See you there,

Bridg

It’s Tuesday, and the week is off to a solid start. The non-profit I do volunteer marketing for issued its first press release yesterday. It’s A) a cool milestone that my alma mater is the first school in Georgia to get a student organization centered around sustainability & green design and B) a personal milestone to write my first press release. The VP of PR at SPSU kindly allowed me to use training wheels and coached me through the final edit. My goal is to write at lease one press release a month on behalf of the IKRC.

Today is also significant because I organized as an LLC. I enjoy politics, social media, and all things web – and can now be compensated for it. It’ll be nights, weekends, and spare time, but it’s still a milestone for me. I get to go through the emotion and experience of being a small business owner. The secondary milestone is that I have my first client and will begin updating their website this weekend.

Did you know that all things related to a politician’s current office and future office (campaigning) has to be kept COMPLETELY separate? And not just monetarily. You can’t post the same photos, same press releases, same clips – nada…has to be separate.  That’s where I’m able to help this client. I’m completely Switzerland and can keep websites uploaded with fresh media without any resource-mixing worries.

I snagged a book from a friend of mine but haven’t started reading it yet. We’ll see if it’s a page turner…