The Dallas Metroplex Civic and Business Association held a luncheon on Tuesday to introduce its new CEO and facilitate a discussion with Cliff Maloney, the CEO of Citizens Alliance and the founder of the Pennsylvania Chase.
The event began with the introduction of new MCBA CEO Onyinye Akujuo, who officially took over the role in February.
Akujuo called the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex a “place where dreams are realized” and said she feels a “deep sense of privilege” to take over as the CEO of MCBA.
“From the moment I began learning about this organization, I was struck by the sheer potential that exists within this dynamic region. When I considered where I wanted to make the greatest impact and where I can actually contribute to something truly meaningful, the MCBA stood out as a beacon of the business elite, greater communities, and a course of progress for our Metroplex,” she explained.
MCBA Chief Development Officer and CEO of Alexo Athletica Amy Robbins then sat down with Maloney to discuss his work encouraging voter turnout in state and local elections and his belief that these elections are the most important for residents across the country.
Maloney, nicknamed the “godfather of door-knocking,” said he has analyzed over 25 years of data that points to this strategy as the most effective in creating change in political races.
Maloney added that these numbers are even more important in local and state elections, explaining that city officials are the ones who will affect the “actual opportunity being protected or taken away.”
“It’s difficult because people’s minds aren’t on it. But this is the most impactful way, either for better or for worse, because these individuals control the decisions that actually matter at the local level,” he said.
As someone who emphasizes the impact of door-knocking, Maloney said many elections on the local level are about “chasing and reminding” voters to make sure they understand the candidates involved in the race.
Finally, Maloney said candidates running for office must focus on a combination of name recognition and funding, explaining that neither one of these factors alone will guarantee any success.
Maloney explained that he uses the phrases “organic” and “organized” to differentiate between these philosophies, noting that the “organic” aspect comes from name recognition and the “organized” aspect often comes from funding.
“There’s some mix because you can’t just be organic, and you can’t just be organized. You have to have some bit of support, but I think it’s trying to figure that out.”