Print
After successfully placing an Op-Ed piece in the Bangor Daily News, and a letter to the editor in the Journal Tribune, the Maine CU League helped to successfully place two more letters to the editor this past week in the Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News on behalf of S. 2155, the bipartisan regulatory relief bill supported by the League and CUNA. In addition to facilitating advocacy efforts in newspapers, the League also encouraged CU leaders, staff and volunteers to respond to an Action Alert to both Senators King, a co-sponsor of the legislation, and Collins, who has committed her support, thanking them for their support and reaffirming the importance of the legislation. To date, the Alert has generated nearly 400 emails and calls to the Senators. "Our multi-pronged approach to this legislation is to be vocal about why this legislation is important, while publicly expressing our appreciation to our Senators through the media. I am pleased with the outcome and results achieved, so far, and appreciate the participation of credit unions in our efforts," remarked Todd Mason, President of the Maine CU League.
CUNA noted the momentum that the League and similar efforts in other states has "generated for the legislation. Credit unions have had a major role in helping get us one step closer to seeing truly, bipartisan, common-sense relief that will help all of us better serve our members."
In his letter that appeared in the Portland Press Herald this past week, Jason Lindstrom, President/CEO of Evergreen CU, wrote, "These one-size-fits-all regulations hurt my credit union's ability to serve our members. A bill currently making its way through the Senate, S. 2155, is a carefully crafted, bipartisan proposal that is co-sponsored by Sen. Angus King and would help credit unions across Maine more fully serve our members' needs, from mortgages to small-business loans." In a letter that appeared in the Bangor Daily News, Tucker Cole, President/CEO of Maine State CU, explained, "Credit unions in Maine, like Maine State Credit Union, where I serve as the CEO, had nothing to do with the Great Recession and continued making loans to our members. Even though credit unions had no part in the financial crisis, lawmakers decided to sweep us in with the national banks when they crafted Dodd-Frank. This means that we spend more time dealing with regulatory compliance than ever before. This takes away from serving our members in other ways."
Elise Baldacci, Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Maine CU League, said the "willingness of Maine CUs to write letters, and respond to action alerts is an essential part of our success. Getting involved makes a difference, especially in the political process."