My Friendship with Bill Arnold

— Maurice Hinchey

I've had the privilege of Bill Arnold's friendship and support for almost 30 years. In fact, we share
 a hometown. Bill was there for me in my earliest days in politics, organizing volunteers, ginning
up the grass-roots, and getting people motivated for my reelection campaigns when I was in the
New York State Assembly and later when I ran for Congress. I'd like to think that his work on my
behalf gave him good experience for the day when he found his true calling: fighting for quality
healthcare for people with HIV/AIDS. In those early, terrifying years of the AIDS epidemic, many
of my friends in the gay community felt persecuted and intimidated.

They were scared to talk about what was happening, and they didn't know where to get help or
information. In our rural area of upstate New York, services were scarce and community support
was nonexistent. Bill got angry about the stigmatization and discrimination in our communities.
When early versions of combination antiretroviral therapy became available, he got angry about the
inability of patients to afford these lifesaving medications. Then, in characteristic fashion, Bill got
organized.

He understood, far better than most people who make a career out of politics, the necessity of a
strong political organization. He began by giving a voice to people in need, but he knew that it was
insufficient to simply ask his elected officials for what they needed. He organized people— through
constituent letters, meetings, and campaign volunteerism—to make their voices heard by their
representatives in government. He made the HIV/AIDS community a strong and active constituency
to which politicians had to listen.

Bill's activism certainly pushed me to be a stronger voice for people with HIV/AIDS. For elected officials
who didn't have the same strong feelings about these issues that I did, he forced them to pay attention
and become allies.

Working with Bill

— Wendy Darwell

Congressional staffers represent the frontline in dealing with constituents and lobbyists. Our job is to
separate the wheat from the chaff and help set priorities for the member of Congress for whom we work.
Usually this means that we are buried in paper and hounded by activists. The quality of the information
we receive, its timeliness, and the way in which it's delivered have a lot to do with how these priorities
are set.

Perhaps better than anyone I've worked with in nearly a decade on the Hill, Bill Arnold knows how to
make himself useful to Congressional staff, in a way that dramatically advances his cause. He provides
us with the information we need, when we need it, and his information is always reliable.

He's straightforward and honest, and his strategic instincts are dead on. More importantly, he knows who
can be leaned on for support, when to push, and when to back off. I know that if he's calling to ask me for
something, it's important and he's not wasting my time. I know that if he personally asks my boss for help,
it's urgent, and he'll get the congressman's help. These skills have earned him an extensive network of
contacts on the Hill, on both sides of the aisle, and at all levels.

Bill's shrewd organizational abilities extend beyond government and into the political realm. Let's face it:
politicians don't get reelected without political campaigns. Most people think that you need a lot of money
to make a difference in the political process, but that's not always true.

Sometimes the most important support you can give to elected officials who support your cause—or who
you want to support your cause—is at the local level. And usually, this valuable support is free: putting a
sign on your lawn, putting together a group of your friends to fill a phone bank, or going door-to-door
encouraging people to get out and vote for your candidate.