President’s Message
By David Mahoney
Comments and letters can be sent to President Mahoney at WPPA, 340 Coyier Lane, Madison, WI 53713, or e-mail mahoney@wppa.com.
The annual Convention was a huge success for our members and families as well as our Association. A record number of delegates registered for the Convention and, even more important, a record number of families attended along with them! My thanks to our host locals, Dane County and Madison, for their outstanding work and organization. As well, I would like to thank the entire WPPA staff who, as always, did an excellent job at registration, providing workshops, and overseeing the needs of all attendees.
Speaking of workshops, this year’s presenters were outstanding, as all were leading experts in their respective specialties: Bob West and John Matthews led presentations on labor organizing and building strong locals; our own Gordon McQuillen and Madison Professional Police Officers Association President Scott Favour led several presentations on responding to critical incidents involving our members; and several leaders in the fund-raising profession provided our members with ideas to fund special programs within our locals.
If you were unable to attend the Convention this year, I encourage you to make plans early to attend next year. The 2006 Convention will be held May 20 through May 22, and will again be at the Kalahari Family Resort in Wisconsin Dells. Plan to join WPPA next May because there are more than enough distractions and responsibilities which pull each of us away from our families. Wouldn’t it be nice if our children actually looked forward to their parents attending the Convention and other WPPA activities? We also deserve a little relaxation.
Public safety issues at the State Capitol and in Washington, D.C., don’t appear to be solved. WPPA lobbyist Jim Palmer and I returned from Washington, D.C. on May 12 where we attended the NAPO Legislative Conference. We also met with many of Wisconsin’s Senate and Congressional members and stressed the importance of continued funding of the COPS programs and the U.S. Department of Justice Technology Grants.
At the State Capitol, Jim and I both continue to meet with our state representatives and stress the importance of WPPA’s legislative agenda and those programs which protect the safety and financial welfare of our members and those non-members who, like each of us, wear a badge and hold the front lines in our communities.
If you were not at the Convention for the annual financial report, I would like to take a moment to bring you up to date on the status of the WPPA. During the Convention, WPPA Treasurer Doug Koykkari and the accounting firm of Wegner CPA’s & Consultants provided evidence of our financial status, and highlighted that the Association – in the space of a year – has progressed from being heavily in debt to operating currently with a growing reserve fund and a firm foundation.
The WPPA staffing levels have been restored and the organization continues to grow with locals and members having built a strong defense against those labor organizations which viewed the WPPA as weak and vulnerable.
As it relates to the status of the federal investigation into the actions of our former executive director, it is anticipated that the investigation will be concluded in late summer 2005, with a final charging decision having been made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Madison shortly thereafter. Thank you again for your trust, your friendship, and your continued sense of pride in our organization – the Wisconsin Professional Police Association.
As always, if you have an issue within your local that you or your local board feel is not receiving the proper amount of attention from your WPPA Business Agent or other WPPA staff, please don’t let the issue “simmer.” Call the Madison office at 1-800-362-8838 or 608-273-3840, or send an e-mail to either me (mahoney@wppa.com) or Executive Director Tom Bahr (bahr@wppa.com).
Until we meet again, take care of those who take care of you. Be safe!
