Power Brokers

Thanks to their lobbying efforts, HBAs have posted some big wins in recent years.

State and local HBAs use every tool available—members and money, proposed legislation and ballot initiatives—to drive elections and policy making. Here are a few state HBAs that have fought and won big battles recently:

Not one bill this group opposed—including a controversial public campaign finance proposal and three promoting local impact fees—made it into law during the 2003—2004 legislative session. Meanwhile, lawmakers passed all of the HBA's proposed legislation. The North Carolina Center for Public Policy has named Mike Carpenter, the association's executive vice president, one of the state's top 50 lobbyists every year since 1993.

Ed Phillips credits a philosophical shift with his group's recent successes. “We used to be the ‘hell, no' guys,” Phillips says. The HBA has since adopted a more proactive agenda, promoting—and pushing to victory—bills on such controversial builder issues as licensing and right to repair. Improved credibility helped the association rewrite the state's erosion and sedimentation act, a change that Phillips says saves builders about $700 per lot.

BIAW is on track to add 1,000 new members this year, a feat executive vice president Tom Mc-Cabe connects to last year's successful ballot initiative campaign to overturn state ergonomics regulations. The association spearheaded the $1.6 million effort, which relied on a combination of grassroots education and multimedia advertising. Fifty-three percent of Washington state voters opted to overturn the regulations, which McCabe says would have cost businesses $750 million annually.—Michele Mariani

Stop blaming the environmentalists. Conservative suburban homeowners are the most powerful foes builders face.

There's nothing quite like self-interest to get a yuppie off the couch and into City Hall. While environmentalists have lost clout in the face of a disintegrating federal commitment to clean air, clean water, energy conservation, and wetland protection, NIMBY homeowners have become savvy, homespun activists. They understand the nuances of zoning and environmental laws and can mobilize other self-interested neighbors who might otherwise stay out of local politics altogether.

Do their tactics work? Absolutely. And lower-income buyers are the first to pay the price. NIMBY sentiments drive up home prices, cause enormous time delays in new projects, and make smart growth through density almost impossible. A recent study of NIMBY impact in Florida by the state-appointed Affordable Housing Study Commission (www.floridahousing.org) found that NIMBY efforts are spreading rapidly—due in large part to use of the Internet to spread false information.

The report says: “Unfortunately, ignorance, community fear, and opposition to affordable housing are still very much a part of life in Florida today. Left unchecked, ignorance and fear will continue to guide community residents' actions and hinder efforts to build inclusive communities that can accommodate all of Florida's citizens.” It adds that “NIMBYism and its insidious impacts on Florida's communities and the state's economy continue to be a primary concern for the Commission.”—Matthew Power