Navigating State and Local Government is Our Service

Cook Government Advisors is proud to announce that it has formed an affiliation with the well-respected full-service lobbying firm, LegisGroup Public Affairs.  With years of lobbying experience, President Rhonda Cook joins the LegisGroup partners to represent their existing client base.  In addition, she hopes to bring new clients to LegisGroup should they need legislative or executive branch lobbying services.  

With Rhonda's grounded experience in drafting legislation, navigating the legislative process, and working for and with state agencies, she stands ready to assist clients and can help them get started with representation through her LegisGroup alliance.      

For over twenty years, Rhonda Cook has aided local officials and employees with legal technical assistance.  From helping local units to institute new laws and policies to educating and answering questions from municipal attorneys through the Indiana Municipal Lawyers Association, a group she headed, Rhonda has answered hundreds if not thousands of requests for local government legal assistance.

As a former legislative staffer covering the Ways and Means Committee and a former bond attorney, Rhonda has spent much time in the area of government funding, taxation and finance.  She has also focused specifically on redevelopment and community development matters including Tax Increment Financing.  For twelve years, Rhonda headed the Redevelopment Association of Indiana -- a group made up of city, town and county redevelopment staffers, commission members and local officials who are active in planning and development matters within their home communities.    

With a degree in journalism and previous work for a public relations/advertising firm, Rhonda has the writing, communication and collaboration skills for an array of special projects.  While your employees and staff may be very skilled, they may not have the time to deviate from their day-to-day duties to take on a special project.  This is where Cook Government Advisors can help.  Whether it be compiling data and preparing detailed reports, overhauling sections of your local code of ordinances, working on projects that require bringing ideas together and facilitating group meetings, preparing a "Plan of Action" for most any type of government-related problem or issue, creating short-term and long-term written plans for the future, or assisting with crisis situations where communication is key, let us know how we can be of service.  Need help with Indiana campaign finance questions?  Rhonda has served as treasurer for several political campaigns and PACs and can help your campaign treasurer get started or stay on track.     

Rhonda has recognized a need that she hopes to be able to fill.  She has been a part of hundreds of large group training sessions for local government officials and staffers over the years and, while beneficial, small group or one-on-one training sessions are invaluable.  Nowadays, most people are fairly experienced with virtual learning and therefore training can be more accessible.  Virtual training sessions can be held for a few people at a time at an hour that works for them.  Also, after doing some research, Rhonda can uniquely design the training sessions around the issues most relevant within a community.       

Public sector work is very different than private sector work.  For example, there are a series of legal steps to follow before government can purchase items or sell property.  These types of rules are foreign to people who have never worked in the public sector.  From the open door law to conflicts of interest, there are serious ramifications to not understanding the ground rules!  

Whether it be training for new officials and staff or training for redevelopment commission members on Tax Increment Financing (TIF), tax abatement, community planning and vision (an area Rhonda knows well), Cook Government Advisors can assist.