SAMPLE LETTER
FACTS AND TALKING POINTS
WHY WE ARE URGENTLY ASKING FOR YOUR ACTION TODAY
If you have not heard the news, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced that next Tuesday she will veto $1 million in state funding for the Holly Theatre that had been approved by the full State Legislature in last month's session. The move to defund the Holly and two other Southern Oregon projects appears to be the result of a political disagreement between the Governor and Rep. Sal Equivel. It has nothing to do with the worthiness of the Holly project itself.
While this is money we had not asked for, its loss will slow the theater's progress as construction will not be able to start this summer as planned.
ASK GOVERNOR BROWN TO RECONSIDER
We have until the end of business Monday to ask Governor Brown to reconsider before the veto becomes effective. We are asking for your help.
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Write a respectful letter asking the Governor to reconsider (sample letter follows)
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Email the letter to us at: letterstogovernor@jeffersonlive.org
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Forward to your friends and family and ask them to do the same
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Email your letter to us by 5pm Sunday August 13, 2017
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We will deliver your letters in person to the Governor on Monday morning
KEEP THE DIALOG CIVIL
Please remember that the Holly Theatre is a non-political organization. Please keep the dialog professional, neutral and most of all POSITIVE. This is a theater for everyone in our community--regardless of political stripe or any other dividing line. Our case for support is much stronger without accusations or name calling.
PLEASE HELP RIGHT NOW
Five minutes will help. Please send your letter today!
Governor Brown,
I am disappointed in your decision to veto funding approved by the State’s full legislative body for the Holly Theatre and other projects in Southern Oregon. While I’m sure it was not your intent to harm the economic well-being of Jackson County residents, that is the end result of your veto.
According to independent research by Americans For The Arts, the Holly Theatre’s operation will add more than $3,000,000 to the local economy every year – that’s triple the funding contemplated by the line-item you are now proposing to veto. That is a sound investment indeed. The theater will also support 90 full-time jobs in its economically depressed neighborhood and bring an additional 10,000 hotel guests to town each year.
The Holly Theatre enjoys an exceptionally broad base of public support. To date, more than 7,000 people have toured the restoration site and learned about the widely-researched real economic benefits of projects just like this one. An unprecedented 2,411 residents have donated to the theater’s restoration – more than 3% of the City’s entire population. That is an astonishing level of financial support in an economically depressed census track and greater than any capital campaign in Southern Oregon memory.
The Holly Theatre moved ahead with construction and mobilization plans based on the good faith of the Oregon Legislature in passing House Bill 5006. Your veto represents a hardship both in timeline and finances for a project that will benefit the entire region. Your action will also be detrimental to the financial health of the residents of Southern Oregon.
I am urging you to reconsider your veto of this project and the other Southern Oregon projects that benefit the people of our region.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
(YOUR BUSINESS NAME)
YOUR ADDRESS