Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is recognizing U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis for outstanding achievement, naming him a finalist for the organization’s Democracy Awards. The award is CMF’s annual recognition for non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional office.
Bilirakis is a finalist in two categories — Constituent Service and Constituent Accountability and Accessibility.
“As a Democracy Award finalist in two categories, the Rep. Bilirakis office is clearly one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, CMF President and CEO.
“This designation demonstrates that Rep. Bilirakis has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for his constituents. Rep. Bilirakis and his staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for his colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work.”
Bilirakis’ Office is among 15 House and Senate Offices named finalists in four categories. The other two categories are Innovation and Modernization and “Life in Congress” — Workplace Environment.
House and Senate Offices nominated themselves for the awards through an online questionnaire. CMF then interviewed office staff and gathered documentation of services to assess performance.
“The office of Rep. Gus Bilirakis cultivates a culture of excellence and continuous improvement supported by formal procedures. These practices include: separate intake and casework manuals that outline constituent response time of 24 hours; utilizing a shared intake drive that is checked by five staff members throughout the day to expedite processing; legislative staff meeting weekly with district staff to identify trends; and tracking constituent feedback received through phone, letters, emails, outreach contact and satisfaction survey results,” CMF said as its reason for selecting Bilirakis’ Office.
“The office conducts at least one tele-town hall a month, usually on targeted topics. They are always looking for new ways to engage, including a “speed dating” concept where the Member takes five minutes to talk to a constituent and then meets the next person.”
Winners will be selected in July by an external selection committee primarily composed of former Congress members and congressional staff. All finalists and winners will be recognized in Washington on Sept. 26.
CMF is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1977 with a mission to strengthen Congress and build trust in its work with and for the American people. It promotes best practices and helps Congress and its constituencies engage in constructive and inclusive dialogue to further American democracy.
