CLEVELAND, October 19 — Vince Verna was elected by acclamation to serve as Chairman of the Arizona State Legislative Board during Triennial Meetings on October 5.
Brother Verna is Local Chairman of BLET Division 28 (Tucson, Ariz.). He joined the Brotherhood of August 1, 1995.
“I would like to thank our Board for allowing me continue to represent the members in our state on legislative and regulatory issues related to safety,” Brother Verna said.
Also during the meeting, Nick Johnson was elected Vice Chairman and Steve Whitman was reelected by acclamation to the office of Secretary-Treasurer. Brothers Johnson and Whitman are both members of BLET Division 28.
The following Legislative Representatives were in attendance as delegates: Dick Kolomitz, Division 134 (BNSF, Winslow, Ariz.); Shawn Turley, Division 647 (Phoenix, Ariz., BNSF);) and Kevin Onembo, Division 123 (Phoenix, UP).
The meeting was well-attended by several BLET officers, including; Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman; California State Legislative Board Chairman Tim Smith; North Dakota State Board Chairman Mike Muscha; Union Pacific (Western Lines) General Chairman Bill Hannah; BLET Special Representative Ken Kroeger; and BLET Auxiliary National Legislative Representative Sereena Hogan.
U.S. Congressman Ed Pastor from Arizona’s 4th District addressed the attendees.
“On behalf of our board, I want to thank all of the great guests we had at the meeting for taking time out of their busy schedules,” Brother Verna said. “Their contributions helped make our meeting a productive and educational one. I think our members have a lot to be proud of in their Legislative Representatives in Arizona.”
In January of 2008, Brother Verna was serving the Board as Vice Chairman when he was promoted to the Chairman’s job following the resignation of Brother Rob Svob, who resigned to prepare for retirement. Following Verna’s promotion, Brother Johnson elected to fill the Vice Chairman’s job.
The BLET’s Arizona State Legislative Board represents more than 550 members.