Aviation Is Non-Partisan, Says State Senator

by Dave Weiman

On July 14, 2012, I had the privilege of attending an AOPA “Pilot Mix & Mingle Social Networking Event” at Wisconsin Aviation in Madison, Wisconsin, hosted by AOPA Great Lakes Regional Manager Bryan Budds. If you have not met Bryan, be sure you take the opportunity when it presents itself. He is working hard to represent your interests, protect our airports, and increase our pilot population.

Bryan first introduced himself and briefed us on legislative issues, NextGen aircraft equipment requirements, and AOPA initiatives. He then introduced Wisconsin Senator Mark Miller (D) who was just elected the majority leader following the recall elections of both Governor Scott Walker (R) and a select group of legislators. Governor Walker kept his seat, but some of the legislators were not as fortunate. The recall had to do with the elimination of collective bargaining by state employees.

Since the recall, Governor Walker has been trying to mend the fences, and admits that although he feels the legislation was necessary, things could have been handled differently. Democrats still contend that eliminating collective bargaining was not necessary. Regardless, the two parties realize that they need to work together on both partisan and non-partisan issues.

Senator Miller served in the Wisconsin Air National Guard for most of his career, flying F102s, A37s, and A10s, and concluded his career flying the C-26 Metroliner, retiring in 1995 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

I was pleased with the senator’s presentation. No politics…just pilot talk and suggestions on how best to move aviation’s agenda forward.

In his presentation, Senator Miller urged pilots to get to know their elected officials and to keep them informed. We need to tell our elected officials how their local airport is an economic generator, employs people, and attracts tourism, noted the senator. But the thing that Senator Miller said that resonates

with me the most is that he feels that aviation is a “non-partisan” issue and therefore we are more apt to get the support we need, whether that’s for airport development, airspace, pilot education, or the aircraft maintenance programs in our technical schools.

I have met Senator Miller on a number of occasions over the years, but we really have not talked much about aviation issues. It sometimes takes a meeting like AOPA’s networking event to get better acquainted and start the dialogue, and for that, I am grateful.

During the question and answer period, I asked Senator Miller if he attends EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and he said that he hadn’t for years, but hoped to this year. Following the meeting, I told him how enthused the governor is about AirVenture, that he attended in 2011, and schedule permitting, he would most likely attend again this year. I then encouraged the senator to fly with the governor to AirVenture, especially considering that aviation is a non-partisan issue and something both leaders support.

Senator Miller smiled and hesitated briefly before responding, but said that he would contact the governor’s office to see if he could join him on the flight. This flight can be a step in the right direction for the State of Wisconsin and aviation in general.

I will report back to you in the next issue to let you know if this symbolic flight took place. In the meantime, I urge you to get to know your state representatives and keep pushing our aviation agenda.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Email your comments to dave@MidwestFlyer.com.

This entry was posted in August/September 2012, Columns, Columns, Dialogue and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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