一位女议员告诉政府官员，他们想从水务公司的代表那里得到什么——尤其是当水务公司希望某一特定条例获得通过时。所有民选官员都希望清楚、简单、简洁的事实。所有官员都应该受到同样的待遇——不应该有一个公用事业部门。公职人员不喜欢感到惊讶:随时向他们通报情况。在提出复杂问题时，要留出足够的准备时间，不要在选举年提出加息或其他有争议的措施。 遵循提出条例的程序。证明改变是合理的——例如，追踪成本上升以证明加息是合理的。使用数字和图表，但不要用技术信息压倒政客。

A councilwoman tells what public officials want from water utility representatives--particularly when the utility wants a particular ordinance passed. All elected officials want clear, simple facts, concisely presented. All officials should be treated the same--there should not be a utility favorite. Public officials do not like to be surprised: keep them informed. Give sufficient lead time when proposing a complicated issue, and don't propose rate increases or other controversial measures during an election year. Follow procedures for proposing ordinances. Justify the change--for example, trace rising costs to justify a rate increase. Use numbers and graphs, but don't overwhelm the politicians with technical information.