Featured September 14, 2023 New resource explains how presidential transition teams can work with state, local, tribal and territorial partners to achieve change Back to Blog Bipartisan leaders Senator Shaheen and former Governor Hogan explain the importance of working across all levels of government Date October 12, 2023 Authors Haley Foster Tags Presidential Transition The Partnership’s Center for Presidential Transition® and Deloitte recently released “The States of Our Union,” a new resource about how presidential transition teams can prepare to work with state, local, tribal and territorial officials to accomplish big things for a new administration or a second term. The release event featured former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, who have deep experience and understand the importance of a bipartisan and collaborative approach to governing. Left to right: U. S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, former Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan and Center for Presidential Transition Director Valerie Smith Boyd, during a panel discussion. Photo courtesy of Gov. Hogan’s team. Here’s what the duo had to say about how good transition planning enables first- and second- term administrations to effectively collaborate across levels of government to execute a policy agenda. Building trust with state, local, tribal and territorial officials Sen. Shaheen and Gov. Hogan emphasized that the key to building trust with state and local officials is being eager to work across parties. Shaheen encouraged presidential candidates to recognize “that once the campaign is over, you’re serving all the people in the country” and to “reach out to both [parties] at the state and local level.” Gov. Hogan highlighted the importance of associations in fostering connections between incoming administrations and officials at lower levels of government. As chair of the National Governors Association, Hogan worked to unite Democratic and Republican governors to support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Selecting personnel to build intergovernmental relationships Hogan highlighted the importance of getting “people with that local government connection” who understand the importance of collaborating across levels of government into roles at intergovernmental [offices]. Shaheen highlighted how the Senate confirmation process hinders administrations’ ability to appoint the right people to these roles, noting that Congress should “look at whether the Senate needs to confirm such a broad range of people as we currently do.” Fostering and coordinating outreach to understand local conditions and make a local impact A Center research report from earlier this year shows that presidential transitions create significant national security vulnerabilities for our nation. Shaheen shared how the quality and frequency of outreach from presidential administrations can make or break state and local responses to crises. Following 9/11, Shaheen, then the New Hampshire governor, made efforts to curb future terrorist attacks in the United States. At the time, federal officials encouraged state governments to be alert for terrorists they believed to have infiltrated the country. Yet officials could not provide watchlists to state governments because they were classified. “As governors, we were all in. We were ready to be helpful in every way we could, and we didn’t get the information we needed to be as effective as we could have been,” she said. Moving forward Sen. Shaheen and Gov. Hogan’s reflections encourage presidential administrations to develop strong intergovernmental relationships through good transition planning. As we move closer to the next presidential election, transition teams for a new or second-term administration should prioritize building critical relationships with state, local, tribal and territorial representatives early on to develop plans and networks that will help new administrations realize their vision. These relationships help administrations implement their priorities at the local level from day one. Haley Foster manages the delivery of federal executive network programs aimed at improving efficiency and collaboration across government agencies.
