RTA: Moving Beyond Congestion
Raising awareness of a critical transportation funding issue and winning public support for a legislatively enacted tax increase

Challenge:
Build suburban and Republican support in the Illinois General Assembly for a tax increase to support mass transit operations (RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace) and ensure transit riders in the northeastern region did not face fare hikes or service cuts.

Strategy and Tactics:

• Built and branded Moving Beyond Congestion, a broad grassroots and grasstops coalition focused in the suburbs to engage legislators locally

• Recruited and activated more than 17,000 individuals and 700 organizations representing a million plus residents and business owners in RTA’s six-county area

• Supported legislative outreach teams with member-specific activities and messaging

• Led aggressive and extensive earned media effort, including op-eds and LTE’s

• Managed high-visibility community forums and public rallies

• Created and managed all collateral materials from banners and mailers, to advertising and website

Outcome:
Moving Beyond Congestion secured more than 1,000 formal letters and resolutions of support from regional policy organizations, and more than 50,000 emails, letters and faxes were sent by individual transit supporters to target elected officials.

Reduced opposition by suburban and Republican legislators allowed the Illinois General Assembly to approve $500 million a year in new funding for mass transit operations in RTA’s six country region.