Membership Frequent Asked Questions

Q: Are there costs other than dues that are incurred as a member of the Council?

A: With the exception of our annual Washington, D.C. meeting and our Annual Dinner, all other Council programs and events are offered free of charge to our members.

Q: Why do members join the Council?

A: There are a variety of reasons members join the Council. Some are acutely interested in the impact of federal public policies on the region’s economy and see the Council as the most effective mechanism for shaping and influencing public policy decisions; others feel that the Council enables them to establish or further develop relationships with members of the region’s congressional delegation; still others are interested in meeting and raising their company’s profile among senior business leaders from New England and find that this goal can be effectively achieved by participating in Council programs.

Q: Is the Council a partisan organization?

A: The Council works hard to protect and further its reputation as a non-partisan organization. Democrats and Republicans alike support our work and engage in our programs. As a measure of our success in building bi-partisan relationships, consider our most recent “Public Sector New Englanders of the Year:” U.S. Senator Judd Gregg, a Republican from New Hampshire; White House Chief of Staff Andy Card; U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut; and Congressman Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts. Each of these public sector leaders has been a long time supporter of the Council and our work.

Q: How does a member get value out of their membership?

A: By participating in our committees and programs; by suggesting issues to add to our agenda or ideas for seminars for us to host; by involving colleagues from their firm or others in programs or committees of particular interest or relevance, all of which strengthens the Council and thereby enhances its effectiveness for our members.