By Lexington Soures
Regional meetings were not abnormal at the inception of The Council of State Governments. Early editions of The Book of the States act more as a diary, featuring meetings on freight rates, taxes and executive leadership, among other topics. CSG was always meant to be a “secretariat and clearing house” to ease the concerns of the states.
The CSG Articles of Organization called for the creation of regional offices, the first of which opened in New York City in 1937. An office in Washington, D.C., was also opened the following year. In the years that followed, CSG opened offices in the Midwest, South and West.
Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis recognized states as unique, concentrated “laboratories of democracy” that could curate solutions to specific policy issues. CSG Regional offices facilitate these laboratories by connecting states and broadening the sharing of ideas and impact for good.
A New York Times editorial from 1939 touted CSG for its “fitness of the machinery for the job,” reading that “CSG is a practical machine of information and action, highly useful in a day of complex problems.”
Once the Eastern Regional office opened, their leadership understood that they were a “direct branch” of the central office and acted as a liaison.
As the oldest regional office, CSG East has a rich history. In 2001, CSG the East office was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. They are now located across from the new One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The office also serves as a parent office for the CSG Justice Center.
David Biette, director of CSG East, said the Eastern Region works best when it communicates and establishes connections with members, experts and others looking to advance the common good.
“Like in the national office and other regions, some of the ideas that start here go on to fundamentally shift the way leaders and citizens alike think about major issues and the solutions to them,” Biette said. “We’re proud to have facilitated those kinds of advancements in state government since 1937 and are excited about the new roles we will be able to play in the coming years.”
These include the Council on Communities of Color, the only group of its kind affiliated with CSG, and the Eastern Trade Council. In addition to policy events, state visits and research requests, CSG East hosts the Eastern Leadership Academy and EASTrain. They also explore specific policy areas through partnerships, summits and working groups. These include organizing regional climate and energy policy summits with Princeton and Yale, to hosting in-person briefings on energy and environment policy. This year the office began work on housing policy.
“In all 18 of our jurisdictions, untangling issues of housing shortages and affordability is demanding more time, energy and effort from lawmakers and executive staff than ever before,” Biette said. “We were excited to ramp up our housing policy work this year with two productive virtual roundtable discussions. These discussions explored key ideas to address the affordable housing crisis and strategies for building consensus to pass related legislation.”
CSG Midwest established an office in Chicago, Illinois, in 1945. The office serves 11 states, one province and several affiliated areas through policy support and research. Regional caucuses between legislators and regional compacts facilitate bipartisan communication and collaboration. As well, the region hosts the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development, which is a region-specific program for leaders to improve their own skills as well as meeting with professional development leaders and collogues.
Laura Tomaka, director of CSG Midwest, said the regional office’s work reflects the tradition and history of the region, giving the examples of agriculture and water management. Through committees, like the CSG Midwestern Legislative Conference Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee, legislators “come together to learn about and work on state policies that help our region’s farmers feed the world while also fueling state economies.”
Connecting people and ideas is the main function of CSG Midwest, Tomaka said.
“Whether it’s through our policy work and policy committees, our MLC Annual Meeting, our Stateline Midwest publication, our leadership training program, or any other number of groups or convenings, our goal is to provide relevant information and tools to support state and provincial officials and aid the policymaking process,” Tomaka said. “We also serve as a place where policymakers from across the region can connect with one another to share ideas and experiences and build a regional network that supports them in the important work they are doing.”
Both CSG South and CSG West opened offices in Decatur, Georgia, and San Francisco, California, respectively, in 1947. Much like the other offices, they aid in policy and research analysis and leadership development.
CSG South, made up of 15 member states, hosts programs for legislative staff, agency directors and the Center of the Advancement of Leadership Skills.
“I think what makes the southern regions shine and frankly, what I hear all the time is just our level of heart,” said Lindsey Gray, director of CSG South. “We hug when we see each other again after a long time. It’s almost like a family reunion. I think that that’s what you see is the barriers the walls between states absolutely come down. There’s a camaraderie and wanting to help each state rise together.”
The regional office continues to grow, with 14 staff members, increased programming and an upcoming international delegation. Additionally, CSG South added a Staff Committee to its bylaws, and plans to increase education and leadership opportunities for staff members in all three branches of government.
Gray said the key to engaging and helpful programming, as well as increased camaraderie, is listening to members.
“That level of engagement, that camaraderie, that heart, is [members] seeing that we’re listening to them and we’re also implementing,” Gray said. “That’s kind of our secret sauce, listening and implementing.”
Although it may appear somewhat different, the recipe used by CSG West to engage and network members is not all that different from its regional colleagues. Those in one of the 13 CSG West member states have opportunities to connects at its Border Legislative Academy, which promotes binational leadership, and the Western Legislative Academy. Customized training is also available through the WESTrain program. There are also programs focusing on natural resources, such as the Colorado river Forum and the Legislative Council on River Governance. Programs to aid legislature staff will also be launched soon.
CSG West membership spans from the Dakotas to Hawaii and Alaska, as well as the Pacific Island governments of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The vastness of the region leads to unique policy challenges.
“As an organization, our goal is to facilitate those conversations on what has or has not worked so that states can better adapt to those situations,” said Edgar Ruiz, CSG West director.
Ruiz added that it was important to provide a space for conversations unique to the West, allowing leaders from member states and territories, as well as Canada and Mexico, to share ideas and learn from one another while addressing a shared environmental concern. CSG West is the only region to share a border with both Canada and Mexico, leading to programing addressing economic and policy concerns that may arise.
CSG National leadership has utilized the experience being a regional leader provides. The third executive director of CSG, Brevard Crihfield, served in the Washington and New York offices, as the Midwest regional representative, and used his experience as a regional leader to expand the services offered by CSG. Hebert Wiltsee replaced Crihfield as the fourth executive director following a long tenure as director of CSG South and as director of research and publications. Daniel Sprauge was director of CSG West before becoming the 8th executive director. Even the current executive director, David Adkins, formerly served as chair of CSG Midwest.
“As a legislator, I served as chair of CSG Midwest. From that experience, I met and learned from incredible CSG staff members and legislative colleagues throughout the Midwest,” Adkins said. “I found at CSG a family of people, like me, who were passionate about public service and whose camaraderie helped sustain me through some dark days.”
CSG National Headquarters moved to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1969. Years later, the Center of Innovation also opened to aid in research requests and focus on policy concerns throughout the states. Now, CSG serves as a harbor for state leaders and legislators across the nation and beyond, consistently providing the resources and opportunities they need to become more successful public servants.
“I invite every state official to find a home in the CSG family,” Adkins said. “CSG will make you a better, more effective public servant and your participation will make CSG a stronger force for good.”
