HUMMELSTOWN, Penn.-If Diana Roberts were president of the United States, Americans would quickly connect the Hershey FCU CEO with her credit union roots, as she'd have the Pennsylvania CU Association's iBelong campaign logo painted right below the presidential seal on Air Force One.
"I'd also make it a requirement that credit unions become the primary financial services choice for all Americans and mandate newborns be issued a credit union membership card along with their Social Security card," she said. "I'd also have the Surgeon General announce that eating Hershey's chocolate is the secret to happiness and longevity."
Being president certainly provides opportunities to do things that ordinary citizens could never do. So Credit Union Journal asked CU executives what some of the interesting and different things they might do if they were our country's commander in chief.
A Pardon For Pete
Bill Herring, CEO of Cincinnati Central CU and a long-time baseball fan, would end the debate over whether Pete Rose should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. "I would give a presidential pardon to Peter Edward Rose and put him in the Hall. You can keep him out of baseball, but he's going in the Hall of Fame."
Having access to Air Force One provides advantages, agreed a number of CEOs. Both Doug Fecher, CEO of Wright-Patt CU in Fairborn, Ohio, and Mike Lussier, who heads Webster First FCU in Webster, Mass., have pilot's licenses and would rather fly the president's plane than ride in it. "I'm climbing in that cockpit," Lussier said.
Harriet May, CEO of Government Employees CU in El Paso, Tex., sees Air Force One significantly enhancing her long-awaited global travel plans, while Chuck Bruen, CEO of First Entertainment CU in Hollywood, Calif., would just be glad that his luggage and golf clubs are sure to arrive when he does.
Many credit union executives would use their time in the Oval Office to help bring families closer together during the recession. Sandly Lingerfelt, CEO of Clinchfield FCU in Erwin, Tenn, would declare a national holiday "so people could go home for a day and spend quality time with their families." Bob Arnould, SVP of government affairs for the California CU League in Rancho Cucamonga, would start a "Saturday night sing-along radio program where the whole country can join in and sort of get through this together as a family."
Taking The Stress Out of April 15
Greg Blount, CEO of Tropical Financial CU in Pembroke Pines, Fla., would simply "seek out smiling faces and laughter" whenever he could, especially among family and friends, because "as president the world is going to hand me some awfully bad times," he said.
Difficult times often arrive for Americans somewhere near April 15, so Randy Smith, CEO of Randolph-Brooks FCU in Live Oak, Texas, would try to remove a little stress from tax filing by having a contest that awards prizes for the first to file.
Pat Wesenberg, CEO of Central City CU in Marshfield, Wis., would add a little stress to members of the government who pad bills with unnecessary spending. "I think I would enjoy exposing all of the pork in bills that have been passed, down to an accountability level," she said.
CUNA President Dan Mica would turn up the heat on bankers to make sure "credit unions had a healthy and free economic environment in which to operate," he assured.
Dick Ensweiler, president of the Texas CU League in Dallas, would first have a "real heart-to-heart" with Congress asking members to set aside sacred cows, tedious processes, and personal differences that hold things up. Then he said he'd take care of one last-and most important-business item: "I'd get rid of speed bumps in parking lots. I am constantly frustrated by having to go over them."
