Each October, when HAR opens advisory group applications, its members from across the Greater Houston Area head to www.har.com/getinvolved to apply for one, or multiple, of the 16 advisory groups featured at HAR. While most topics such as MLS or Professional Development have one advisory group, Political Affairs has four different groups that each play separate roles. Oftentimes, HAR members interested in joining one of the four Political Affairs groups are not sure which group to apply for. The purpose of this article is to describe each of these groups so that when it comes time for applications in October, you have a good understanding of which one suits your interests the best.
The Political Affairs Advisory Group (PAAG) serves as the political communicator for HAR. This group conducts candidate interviews for Congress, State House, State Senate, Harris County Commissioners Court, and Houston City Council. From those interviews, the PAAG makes recommendations to the HAR Board of Directors regarding endorsements and TREPAC contributions to the candidates for their campaigns. Additionally, HAR PAAG members help mobilize HAR members by promoting voter registration and helping get-out-the-REALTOR®-vote. So, if you are a member who lives or works in Harris County or the City of Houston and you are interested in the political process, the HAR PAAG is the advisory group for you!
Along with the PAAG, there are three separate Political Affairs Advisory Leadership (PAAL) groups that all have similar functions as the PAAG but for the outlying areas of the HAR Membership. There is the Montgomery County PAAL up north, the Fort Bend PAAL out west, and the Bay Area PAAL down south. Each group conducts candidate interviews for local elections as well as assists the PAAG in state and federal interviews that cover their area of jurisdiction. The Montgomery County PAAL interviews candidates for Montgomery County Commissioners Court, Conroe City Council and The Woodlands Township. The Fort Bend PAAL interviews candidates for Fort Bend County Commissioners Court, Sugar Land City Council and Missouri City Council. And the Bay Area PAAL conducts interviews for candidates running for Harris County Commissioners Court Precinct 2, Pearland City Council and League City City Council. In addition, all three groups help to get-out-the-REALTOR®-vote in their area as well as assist with local TREPAC events. Therefore, if you live or work in either Montgomery County, Fort Bend County or the Bay Area and are interested in the political process, we invite you to apply to join one of the three PAAL groups when advisory group applications open in October.
If you have further questions regarding any of the Political Affairs groups, please contact HAR Political Affairs at (713) 629-1900 ext. 1287. We look forward to seeing lots of new faces at the start of 2023!
