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Illinois REALTOR: Home Front
Gary Clayton is the chief executive officer of the Illinois Association of REALTORS® and he serves on the NAR Board of Directors. He has been an RPAC Major Donor for 20+ years and is a member of the RPAC Hall of Fame with lifetime contributions reaching $50,000. Born and raised in Poplar Bluff, Mo., Gary earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s in Social Justice Administration and has earned the CAE and RCE designations. He and his wife of 33 years, Marsha, live in Chatham, Ill. and are the proud parents of four grown children.
We are the only advocate for private property rights. So we are helping our members’ customers and clients whether it’s a zoning issue or special assessment or transfer tax.
January 2012
Clutch Player For Our REALTOR® Team
Gary Clayton, CAE, RCE, Earns William R. Magel Award of Excellence
Gary Clayton is an avid baseball fan and former player. He recalls two clutch plays when his Southeast Missouri American Legion team won the regional finals. The center fielder made a Willie Mays 1954 Polo Grounds-type catch and the second baseman made a diving catch in the eighth inning. Clayton’s lesson: It takes everyone’s maximum effort to reach the goal, no one person does it alone. Incidentally, Clayton’s clutch contribution was scattering five hits while pitching a nine-inning complete game and driving in both runs for a 2-1 victory.
Clutch plays, team leadership and winning are also hallmarks of his career in the real estate industry. Clayton’s professional career spans time as a federal agent, Deputy Director of the Illinois State Police and director of the Illinois Department of Registration and Education. Since 1987, he’s led the Illinois Association of REALTORS®—the sixth largest state real estate association in the country—as its chief executive officer and chief lobbyist.
Last fall at the National Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors meeting in Anaheim, he received from his peers the William R. Magel Award of Excellence for association leadership and achievement.
Q: It was your idea to start a local advocacy program in 2006, which focuses on attacks to the Illinois real estate industry in a REALTOR®’s own back yard—at city hall. Why?
Gary: I am a strong believer in “politics is local.” And for us to be effective our involvement and participation at the local level had to be ramped up significantly because many of the battles were there. Call it trickle down or up. It starts at the local level, and it’s eventually going to get here in some form at the statehouse and maybe in a larger capacity in Washington. If you have grassroots support of property rights at the local level you can generate a lot more support at the state and federal level.
Q: How is the IAR local Advocacy program different from the national’s new REALTOR® Party initiative?
Gary: They are similar in the sense that there is a ramping up culture of political involvement among the members. They are different in that the IAR program’s emphasis is more issue-oriented at the local level and of providing information to the members. The NAR program emphasizes electing pro-REALTOR®, business-friendly candidates.
Q: Why is REALTOR® involvement in politics so important?
Gary: If you think about Professional Standards and the Code of Ethics, these are a form of advocacy. Governmental Affairs is another form of advocacy. I hope the member knows that from a staff perspective and an organization, we are doing our best to offer them an opportunity to make a living in a business-friendly environment and we do as much if not more for their customers and clients. We are the only advocate for private property rights. So we are helping our members’ customers and clients whether it’s a zoning issue or special assessment or transfer tax.
Q: Why do we need RPAC?
Gary: If you look at the way the REALTOR® PAC is structured, it’s individuals contributing a small amount to have a voice. And that voice—a bipartisan voice—is to try to put not only REALTOR® issues but homeowner issues in front of the elected officials so they can make an educated decision on a piece of legislation or to help elect people who understand our business.
Q: How will the election year impact RPAC?
Gary: I see potential for it to be a very costly year for RPAC. We have redistricting in Illinois. We have a considerable number of the Illinois General Assembly retiring so we have a lot of open seats and new districts. To garner support for people who have not run before or who are running in a new district to get their message across and help them do that will be costly.
Q: How do candidates get chosen for RPAC funding?
Gary: This is an important message for the members. We from a staff perspective do not make that determination. We get recommendations from the local association and their members on who to support and not support. There is an interview process for the candidates. When it gets to the state association, members from across the state make the decision whether to support and at what level.
Gary Clayton is the chief executive officer of the Illinois Association of REALTORS® and he serves on the NAR Board of Directors. He has been an RPAC Major Donor for 20+ years and is a member of the RPAC Hall of Fame with lifetime contributions reaching $50,000. Born and raised in Poplar Bluff, Mo., Gary earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s in Social Justice Administration and has earned the CAE and RCE designations. He and his wife of 33 years, Marsha, live in Chatham, Ill. and are the proud parents of four grown children.
We are the only advocate for private property rights. So we are helping our members’ customers and clients whether it’s a zoning issue or special assessment or transfer tax.