 President's Message
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12/28/10: |
Dear WAMA Members,
I hope that the end of the year affords you the opportunity to close out projects
and to take some time to recharge your batteries so that you are ready for the
challenges coming in 2011. Before I start into a discussion of the “Accomplishments
for 2010” and “Looking Towards 2011,” I have two items to cover.
First, I want to acknowledge the passing of our good friend and colleague, Arnie
Clark. Arnie was an Airport Manager and WAMA member for many years. He was an avid
aviator and made many contributions to the aviation and airport industries. We will
miss the friendship, humor, and expertise that he brought to his many
aviation-related activities. We offer our condolences to his family and to his many
friends.
Second, I would like to say that we will all miss the guidance and leadership
provided by John Sibold who is the WSDOT Aviation Division Director, and a WAMA
Board member. John is leaving the Aviation Division on February 4, 2011 to enjoy
some free time for a change. During John’s time at the Aviation Division, he
reorganized the Division and refocused its mission. The Aviation Division under
John’s leadership has had many successes and I believe that all airports in the
state have benefited immensely from his talents and expertise. My hope is that
John’s successor will be as equally talented and committed to developing and
maintaining strong airports and a strong aviation industry in Washington State.
Accomplishments for 2010
WAMA has had several successes this year and the organization is continually
improving and evolving to better serve its members.
WAMA has elected new officers, including a new president and several new Board
members in 2010. The Board and Officers have a strong desire to increase the
effectiveness of WAMA, recruit new members, and grow membership participation
through involvement in WAMA’s revised committee structure. What follows is a brief
discussion of those accomplishments for 2010.
Achieving Our Mission
WAMA’s mission is to “improve airports and airport management in Washington State.”
There are many ways in which we achieved this mission in 2010. Thanks to Board
Member John Haakenson and his staff, WAMA held a very successful Spring conference
in Richland. WAMA also partnered with the Oregon Airport Management Association and
the Idaho Airport Management Association to hold the Tri-state Conference in Sun
River Oregon. The goal of both these conferences was to increase the professional
knowledge of our members, particularly those who were able to attend the
conferences.
The value of these conferences is the learning that goes on in each session.
Conference sessions will increasingly focus on delivering knowledge that will help
you to improve the ways you do your job. Please plan on attending the 2011 Spring
Conference, scheduled tentatively for May 11-13, 2011, at the SeaTac Red Lion.
Conference information will soon be posted on the WAMA web site.
One Voice, One Message
The 2010 Legislative session saw a proposal for a large excise tax on aircraft to
help fill some of the funding gap in the State general fund. Realizing that there
would be an indirect negative influence on airports, WAMA effectively teamed with
other aviation organizations under an umbrella organization called the “Aviation
Coalition of Washington.” Working together, the members of the Aviation Coalition
were very influential in defeating the aircraft excise tax proposal. Members of the
Coalition, who worked to defeat the proposal are:
Washington Pilots Association;
Pacific Northwest Business Aviation Association;
Washington Airport Management Association;
Washington Seaplane Pilots Association;
Washington Air Search and Rescue;
Washington Aviation Association;
NW War Bird Chapters;
San Juan Pilots Association;
Northwest Recreational Flying Association;
National Business Aviation Association; and
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
WAMA used its lobbyist talents to focus WAMA member efforts (and the efforts of
other Coalition members) on channeling the collective energy and influence of the
various organizations to help defeat the aircraft excise tax. Early on in the
legislative session, it became clear that aviation interests must speak with “One
Voice and One Message” to be effective. Through the collaboration of these groups,
and the tenacity of the members contacting members of the Legislature, the aircraft
excise tax was defeated. The position of the Aviation Coalition is that if aviation
entities are to be taxed, the revenues must be reinvested back into the industry so
that it will remain a strong sector of Washington’s economy for future generations.
WAMA hopes to continue to leverage the relationships that we have developed with the
members of the Aviation Coalition. WAMA is also working to strengthen its
relationship with the Aviation Committee of the Washington Public Ports Association.
Strong relationships and trust are crucial to the success of any coalition. In 2011,
WAMA will continue to reach out through the Aviation Coalition to any groups with an
interest in protecting and promoting aviation and airports in Washington.
Strengthening the Organization - WAMA‘s Future Executive Director Position
I want to go back to the topic of strengthening the organization. At the WAMA 2010
Spring Conference, the WAMA Board and Officers presented to the members a formal
proposal regarding establishment of the position of Executive Director. Given the
number of complex issues, the speed at which an effective organization must react,
and the time demands that our day jobs place on all of our members, we recognized
that an Executive Director can serve the WAMA membership in the future more
effectively than the current volunteer management.
During the WAMA 2010 Spring Conference Business meeting, the membership approved the
formal proposal to hire an Executive Director, subject to the development of a
financial plan to support the position over the long term. Over the following
months, the WAMA Board and Officers took the direction of the membership and
developed a financial plan to support the Executive Director position. The financial
plan included a revised dues structure, capable of supporting the Executive Director
(ED) position. As was noted by the membership, the ED position imposes a significant
new expense for the Association, and dues will have to support that expense. A
review of the current dues structure showed clearly that it would not meet this
need.
The current $35 dues structure was originally established in 1970 and has not
changed in 40 years. In the mid 1990’s WAMA started charging some airports a
“legislative assessment” to fund a lobbyist to help WAMA increase influence in
Olympia. The $35 dues structure served the membership well back in the 1970’s, but
it’s insufficient today. Although the legislative assessment has allowed WAMA to
retain the services of lobbyists, that assessment has not been equitably shared
among WAMA members.
In developing the revised dues structure, the WAMA Board and Officers linked the
dues amounts to the airport categories developed by the WSDOT- Aviation Division in
the Long Term Air Transportation Study (LATS) completed in 2009. WAMA’s new 2011
dues structure has a sliding scale, recognizing that larger airports typically have
more complex issues than smaller airports and therefore should contribute more to
supporting WAMA. The special assessments that were used to retain a lobbyist will
not be assessed under the revised dues structure.
In developing the revised dues structure, the WAMA Board and Officers took into
account the weakened nature of our industry during this economic down turn. We
believe that the new 2011 dues structure has struck the right balance between
generating adequate resources to support WAMA’s future Executive Director position
while minimizing the financial impact on the membership.
Airport Compatible Land Use Planning and Review of the Planned Modifications to
the Class B Airspace at Seattle
In 2010, WAMA actively participated in the review and comments on the revised WSDOT
– Aviation Division’s Airport Land-Use Compatibility Program Guidebook, the Puget
Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) revised Airport Compatible Land Use Program, and
participated in the review of the Planned Modifications to the Class B Airspace in
the Puget Sound. WAMA participation in these three efforts have directly benefitted
airports both in the Puget Sound and throughout the state.
Looking Towards 2011
WAMA has grown in 2010, yet, more needs to be done. One of the improvements in 2011
will be increased communication with our membership, both through the WAMA website
and through the resurrected WAMA Newsletter (electronic). This President’s message
is the first step in improving our communications with all WAMA members.
The WAMA Board and Officers look forward to 2011 with a focus on continuous
improvement. Objectives for the coming year include:
• Restarting the WAMA Newsletter in electronic format;
• Increasing the effectiveness of WAMA Committees and increasing member
participation in those committees;
• Completing the 2011 WAMA Spring Conference to increase our professional knowledge
and professional networking;
• Increasing outreach and coordination with the other aviation related organizations
in Washington State; and
• Hiring an Executive Director in the second half of 2011.
We look forward to serving you in 2011. Please watch for our new communications in
the coming year. We will look for you at the 2011 WAMA conference scheduled for May
11-13 at the SeaTac Red Lion.
Respectfully,
Ryan Zulauf
WAMA President, 2010-2011
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