Robert Richards, president, Richards Barry Joyce & Partners, agrees with the majority pointing out at the RBJ, "we are big believers in monitoring policy decisions that impact our organization as well as our client partners. It is important we maintain an active voice with our politicians to be sure our voice is heard.

There is a necessity, he feels, to be an vocal member of their community. Recently, Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp., speaking to the Real Estate Board of New York voiced a similar point of view, challenging the industry—which he said accounts for about half the city's $35-billion annual tax base—to use that clout to help bankroll candidates and wrest influence in Albany from the "public employee unions" that get lawmakers elected and re-elected in what many consider the nation's most dysfunctional state legislature.

And Robert Knakal of Massey Knakal noted in his blog recently on GlobeSt.com that government policy is possibly having a stronger impact than changes in fundamentals on the current state of the commercial real estate market. Richards is in tune with this mode of thinking, saying, "It's very important to be attentive to national and local issues, as policy decisions at all levels affect us and our clients. We are more active and have a more significant voice with local politicians on local issues."