The new year is a milestone to set goals and reframe priorities. As I thought over the holidays about the work we do at Tripepi Smith and the amazing team we have assembled, I turned my attention specifically to the “big picture” of local government. Tripepi Smith can now claim 180+ local government clients and that we are the largest local government-focused public affairs team in California. So my goal for 2023 is to take Tripepi Smith from a vendor/partner/contractor for local government to an institution of local government.

What is an institution of local government? It is an organization with a solid history and a statewide audience. The organization is focused on the next decade (not the next month) and views local government as fundamental to quality of life. Institutions of local government believe in being engaged - they sponsor and attend conferences and events and they offer thought leadership and guidance along the way. Central to this viewpoint is a focus on observing local governments' challenges, and then investing in solutions that benefit local government. West Coast Arborists, the League of California Cities, the Institute for Local Government, HdL Companies and the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority are all institutions of local government. 

I recognize that it takes some serious ego to try and put Tripepi Smith on par with such established names, but why not aim for the stars? You just might hit the moon.

In recent years, Tripepi Smith has made progress toward becoming an institution. Our PublicCEO publication is now the largest local government publication in California. Through the 2020 Census period, we had the chance to work with more cities than any other firm on the outreach associated with the redistricting process. And, in 2022, we had over 90 conference registrations across 26 conferences where Tripepi Smith showed up to sponsor, present or simply attend.

In 2023, we will sustain these efforts and launch a few initiatives that are focused on the basics of helping local government staff execute their jobs with more information, resources and speed. We will also hire about 15 or so people - primarily 2023 college graduates - to join the firm and enter the local government world - adding to the cohort of talent that represents the next generation of local government leaders.

Knowing if you have hit institutional status is hard to gauge, but I have one odd threshold. When recently talking to a group about West Coast Arborists - who work in over 300 cities in California - I noted, “If you are not working with West Coast Arborists, it is just weird.” I am hoping that sentiment will apply to Tripepi Smith by the end of 2023.

Let’s go get ‘em,