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Services

Texas Local Government and Public Affairs

Build local support with people who understand the business, the issue, and the community.

What we do

JD Key helps companies earn a fair hearing in Texas cities and counties. We speak with officials and residents, write down support and objections, and bring that record back to your team while the plan can still change.

We help people who are willing to speak contact their own council members, commissioners, or other officials. They use their own words. We track who was reached, the questions raised, and the follow-up needed so your team can act on what we learn.

James Dickey and Blake Sbrocco also make the case themselves. That includes interviews, opinion articles, testimony, and direct conversations. They work from facts your team can support.

Listening is part of persuasion. A useful objection can show a question your team needs to answer or a change worth making.

How we work alongside your team

Your people know the business. They already work through local challenges. When you need another credible voice, local relationships, or a clearer public explanation, James and Blake work beside you.

Many clients already have capable counsel, technical specialists, lobbyists, and public relations advisers. We agree on the facts and responsibilities with that team, then keep local outreach coordinated as the situation develops.

Your specialists handle their disciplines. JD Key contributes local relationships, independent judgment, experience under public pressure, and a clear explanation of complex business and technology issues.

Who does the work

James founded JD Key Consulting and leads client strategy. He served as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 2017 to 2020. His business and public-service experience informs the advice he gives clients.

Blake Sbrocco is Vice President. He brings municipal experience as an elected member of the Bee Cave City Council, and he stays involved as outreach moves forward. His municipal experience helps him understand the questions local officials and residents bring to a decision.

Their public service informs their judgment and remains separate from client advocacy. Each engagement defines the work James and Blake will personally perform.

Three situations when companies hire us

  1. Before a local decision

    There is still time to learn what matters to the community, address objections, and build support before the public meeting.

  2. When a proposal meets opposition

    A rejection or a delay has a reason. We read the decision and the calendar, find willing supporters, and help the company decide how to make a stronger public case.

  3. Across cities and counties

    The company facts stay consistent. Each place still has its own officials, concerns, and decision process. We report contacts between visits.

A company that had already heard no

A national billboard operator could immediately name three local areas where proposals had been rejected after residents objected. The company hired JD Key because it needed another voice and a way to understand the support and opposition in each place. That is a situation where listening, constituent outreach, and public advocacy can add to the company’s own efforts.

State and federal work

Texas local government and public affairs is our focus. We also help with state and federal issues when the assignment calls for it. We define that work with your team and coordinate with the advisers already involved.

How this compares with other help

Frequently Asked Questions

What does JD Key do on a local decision?

We listen to officials and residents, map support and objections, and help willing constituents contact their own officials. We track each outreach. James Dickey and Blake Sbrocco also make the public case through interviews, opinion articles, testimony, and direct conversations.

Who does the work?

James Dickey founded JD Key Consulting and leads client strategy. Blake Sbrocco is Vice President and stays on the work as outreach moves forward. You hear from both of them.

Can you work beside our counsel, lobbyist, and public relations firm?

Yes. Your team keeps the business judgment. Counsel, technical specialists, lobbyists, and public relations professionals keep the assignments they already have. JD Key adds local conversations, a contact record, and another public voice when the situation calls for them.

What does an independent voice add?

James and Blake bring outside judgment and their own experience to a client engagement. They can question assumptions, test how a message is received, and explain the case in another voice. Their advocacy is professional work for the client; residents who choose to participate speak for themselves.

Do you take state or federal assignments?

Texas cities and counties are the center of the practice. State or federal assistance can be added on an agreed scope. We set that scope with your team and coordinate with the advisers you already use.

What should we tell you first?

The city or county, what you are trying to accomplish, when the decision is, and what concerns you have already heard.

Industry situations

Data centers

When neighbors ask about power, water, and noise before a local vote.

Energy and nuclear

When a generation or fuel project still needs a local explanation.

Water and infrastructure

When a district or utility has to explain rates, supply, and assessments.

Manufacturing

When a plant expansion meets questions about trucks, shifts, and air.

Banking and finance

When a local community asks what a financial company will change nearby.

Public affairs with counsel

When a rule or hearing needs a public explanation aligned with your specialists.

Tell us where the decision stands

Which city or county is involved? What are you trying to accomplish, when is the decision, and what concerns have you heard?

Contact JD Key