Publishers often neglect the critical element of building a working relationship with their elected officials until, unfortunately, they are opposite sides of a fence. 
Developing a working relationship with an elected official is not about agreeing on everything, but rather discovering those opportunities where you both share interests. And the only way to get there is by investing time to build a relationship. For many of us, that means reliving your teenage first-date jitters.

By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President

Expect to fight tooth and nail for public notices in the upcoming Texas legislative session. 
There’s an old saying: “Best to be loaded for bear when hunting squirrel.” The meaning is simple: always be prepared for the worst. Things can go from a nice day in the woods to downright deadly in the blink of an eye. 

By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President

I’m sick and tired of apologizing for being in the newspaper business, and I suspect you feel the same way.

Our industry suffers mightily from self-inflicted wounds. We’re more likely to publish stories about our problems than our successes. We focus on print copies trending down instead of digital readership going up. And we fail to engage detractors who claim falsely that nobody reads newspapers anymore.

By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President

I am honestly confused about how I ended up as the president of the Texas Press Association.

Let me first say that I will do everything in my power to deliver on your trust and confidence in me. Secondly, I will need a lot of help from my friends.

By Leonard Woolsey, TPA President

In the proverbial tool shed of life, there are sharp, blunt and curious tools no one is quite sure what they might be good for. I consider myself a card-carrying member of the latter.

Eighteen months ago, I wrote my first column as president of the Texas Press Association and said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow members of the Texas Press Association for allowing me to serve as your 2021-22 president. It is a great honor, and I am very appreciative for the opportunity to serve you and the state press association.”

That sentiment remains true and strong as I write my farewell column.

I was prepared to write a column this month about the need for more transparency in government and a call to action by newspaper publishers to reach out to their state and national legislators and strengthen relationships ahead of future battles in Austin and Washington.
I was prepared to write about many things that were newspaper related.
But all that went out the window after news of the Uvalde shootings erupted.
Nineteen children and two teachers are dead.
Let me repeat that – 21 people (19 of them elementary children) are dead in South Texas.

You know, I’ve been fortunate enough to be a member of the Texas Press Association for a long time now. A really looooong time.
And I think I have earned the distinction of being the longest serving TPA board member in the history of the TPA.
In all this time I have observed a few things I’d like to share with those of you who are just beginning your trek through the TPA jungle.

Have you ever had one of those days, weeks, months?
You know … you take one step forward and get kicked back two. No matter how you try to please people, they can’t find anything but the negative to harp about.
Just when we make major progress on our postal problems, Florida legislators pull a U-turn and jeopardize how and where public notices can be posted. And I have no doubt some of our friends in Austin are licking their chops and making calls to Florida as we speak.

I sure hope the March primaries were better for you than they were for me. No, I’m not talking about the poor field of candidates and the lack of real statesmen out there. I’m still looking for that man or woman who cares more about me and other Texans in this state than in their own self-serving needs. I mean when you have a very high-ranking elected state official saying we need to sacrifice our elderly during COVID so we can all go to Walmart to boost the economy, there’s something seriously wrong with the state leaders of the 21st Century.

As most of you know, we lost my beloved wife Suzanne on Jan. 7. She was killed in a car wreck.
Suzanne was a very passionate person. She loved teaching, and it showed as hundreds of former students — many of them newspaper and yearbook students — returned that love by turning out for her funeral either in person or online through the livestream and thousands of tribute posts on Facebook.
It was truly amazing. Never have I seen such an outpouring of affection for a former teacher or a regular person. But then I remembered: Suzanne was never just a regular person.