Virginia Division PBA Board of Trustees Meet

On March 18, 2006, the Virginia Division PBA Board of Trustees met to discuss the status of our Chapter. Due to many chapters not being in compliance last year and a lack of leadership in several chapters, the VA PBA chapter was put into a receivership phase. Basically, since August, we have been in the process of reorganization along with a reestablishment of leadership within our division. New leaders have emerged, local chapters have been growing stronger and we are closer to reaching our goal of achieving compliance within the SSPBA. At our meeting, SSPBA President Jack Roberts was in attendance, along with Richard Banks (Director of Organizational Services in the Eastern Region), Jeff Fluck (Director of Governmental Affairs), Gary Martin (Field Services), and Terry Nowell (Director of Training and Research). Also in attendance were leaders from the Blue Ridge Chapter, Colonial Chapter, Mountain Empire Chapter, Newport News Chapter, Northern Virginia Chapter, Southeast Chapter, and the Virginia State Police Chapter.

The meeting started off with a workshop session for the chapter leaders who attended. Terry Nowell led us through training in motivation and goal setting. He gave us techniques on how to bring out the leaders amongst ourselves and within our chapters. Many of the characteristics of being a leader are the same as those in being a law enforcement officer: Treat everyone with respect and dignity, Set the example and Maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity. These are among his “Ten Commandments of Leadership” along with Insisting on excellence and holding your people accountable, Build group cohesiveness and pride within your chapters, Be an active coach, Show confidence in your people, Maintain a strong sense of urgency, Be available and visible to your members and Develop yourself to your highest potential. These are qualities that we should see in our chapter’s Executive Board and Board of Directors, our department’s Field Training Officers and Supervisors AND in ourselves. After getting us motivated, Terry went on to help us in establishing goals within our local chapters as well as our State Division Chapter. We learned that each chapter has to come together and determine what it is trying to accomplish, develop and set challenging yet attainable goals, write down these goals and commit ourselves to them and set rewards for reaching them. They need to be positive, specific, measurable and value oriented. And we have to be able to take an enthusiastic stand to bringing our goals to triumph. As you read this now, your leaders should be formulating goals for your chapters and strengthening as a whole.

The VA PBA’s goals that we plan to accomplish when we come back together again this summer are to affirm that most, if not all local chapters are back in compliance, establish a Board of Directors and an Executive Board for the VA PBA and put the VA PBA Division Chapter back in compliance within the SSPBA. We plan to do this by seeing to it that our local chapters are meeting regularly, and documenting their progress, that a leadership base is established within each chapter to include an active executive board and board of directors, and that at least your presidents and senior vice presidents attend leadership training. We are also currently working on establishing an e-mail tree so that every member can be kept advised on what is happening within his or her chapter. Please make sure your chapter president has your e-mail address.
Many of you may have met Gary Martin by now. If not, you eventually will. He is helping the VA PBA grow by focusing on recruiting new members throughout Virginia. As our membership grows, so does our strength and our voice politically on the local, state and national levels. After our motivational and goal setting sessions, he gave us pointers on building upon our membership to help us achieve our goals. Somewhere beneath that gruff exterior of a former Georgia Trooper, lies that one friendly car salesman whom you can trust to sell you a reliable, dependable and an affordable car that will last you a lifetime.

Jeff Fluck was the final speaker before your Board of Trustees. As the Director of Governmental Affairs, he reported to us on the status of bills we had been monitoring during the 2006 session of the Virginia Assembly. He also advised us on our local chapters’ political screenings that were conducted last fall and how well we did with our endorsements. Last year was the first time the VA PBA screened and endorsed candidates for the position of Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. Because of the professional manner in which we conduct our political screenings, it has become very common for political candidates to come to us wanting to be screened. Even those whom we did not endorse, but were elected, have continued to keep up the lines of communication with your chapters and some have become members. This speaks very well of your chapter’s leaders and how fair and professional they and the VA PBA have been represented. Jeff also helped to establish a legislative committee at this meeting, which is comprised of your chapter’s leaders throughout the state and led by the president of the Southeast Chapter, Jason Knorowski.

Overall, it was a very productive workshop meeting that your Board of Trustees endeavored. From it, along with the goals that we have set for ourselves, we merged two small chapters, the Lonesome Pine Chapter and the Southwest Chapter to help them become stronger as one. It was discussed how some chapters conduct their meetings; a few alternate their meeting dates and times, there are those that bring in home cooked meals and those that send out monthly newsletters. Several chapters are looking at holding a family picnic for their members. These are all great ideas. We are also looking at the idea of holding teleconferencing for the two statewide chapters (Virginia State Police and Virginia Law Enforcement Officers) whose members are spread throughout the state, which makes it difficult for them to meet in person. This will not do away with meeting in person for these chapters, but it will help to facilitate communication and to arrange for those future meetings.

I strongly urge every member to help recruit one new member. If we were to do that, we would double in size to over 3200 members. Now just imagine how strong a voice we will be in the Virginia Assembly and your local council meetings when we accomplish this. And on that note, I also strongly urge each member to sign up to receive the Cap Wiz notices that the SSPBA sends out over the Internet. This system advises you on what is going on politically Nationally and Statewide. If you have a good idea on how you think we can make our way of life better for each other, become active and go to your local chapter meetings. You have a say, but you will only be heard if you choose to voice it.