After much deliberation and talking with many different people, on October 11, 2012, I signed, as President of the Friends of the Georgia Archives and History (FOGAH), a contract with the legislative affairs consulting firm Joe Tanner & Associates, Inc. The contact is $3,000 a month for six months.
As you know the Archives budget has been severely cut for the past several years. Although the Coalition to Save the Archives has worked tirelessly to restore some or all of the funding, we have had very limited success. The latest cut which resulted in the decision to close the Archives to the public made us realize that a more organized approach must be taken. The legislative and budget process is very complex and requires very specialized expertise and the ability to contact the appropriate legislators and budget officials. The FOGAH Board of Directors believes Joe Tanner & Associates, Inc. is the perfect firm to assist us.
Very shortly, we will share the entire work plan with all of you because all of you will be asked to assist. One of the first tasks is to identify individuals who live in each house and senate district in Georgia. We will be asking those individuals to make contact with each legislator after specialized training and talking points have been given to you by Joe Tanner & Associates, Inc. Our goal is to work with the Governor and the General Assembly to put the Georgia Archives on more stable financial footing for years to come.
You can also assist by making a donation to FOGAH that is designated to the “Consultant Fund”. This $3,000 a month is an expense that was not anticipated and is not covered by our current budget. You can make the donation by sending a check to FOGAH, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow GA 30260 or by using PayPal on the FOGAH web site, www.fogah.org.
Thank you in advance for your assistance in saving our Archives.
Dianne Cannestra
sogablog.org 