• How long have the mayor and council/commission members served?
• When will the officials be up for election again? Nothing kills a project faster than a new mayor or council with no "buy in".
• Read six months of council or commission minutes to identify hot issues.
• Former Massachusetts Congressman Tip O'Neil was correct: "All politics is local." So are all the deals.
• Is there a crisis, i.e., regulatory order or court proceedings creating an opportunity for collective focus and leaps of faith to try new ideas and solve problems?