Last week, as the prospect of a government shutdown drew closer and closer, members of the NFFE Forest Service Council elected Mark Davis as their next President. NFFE congratulates Davis for his new role, and wishes him the best of luck as the leader of NFFE’s largest Council. We would also like to thank outgoing Council President Ron Thatcher for his tireless advocacy for Forest Service employees.
Upon assuming office on Monday, April 4, Davis penned the following letter to Council members:
Local Officials and Executive Board Members,
Thanks to all the Locals that supported my candidacy for Council President. I am honored by your support. I will do my best to do the job you have selected me to do.
Before we turn the page, we all need to take a minute and thank Brother Ron Thatcher for his unbelievable dedication and service over the last several years. Brother Ron gave everything he had to this union — and then some. It is one of the great honors of my life to have been able to help him shoulder this load. We fought together and won a number of impressive victories that will be with me always. It was an even greater honor to get to know him. A finer, more caring man you will never meet.
I’d also like to thank Sister Melissa Baumann for her service as Acting Council President over the last few months. This is not a role she cherished, but she stepped up because her union needed her to do it. Indeed, Sister Melissa has long served in a greater capacity than that of Secretary-Treasurer. Her knowledge is second to none, and her steadfastness to the union cause is likewise unparalleled. I am fortunate indeed to have her on the team.
There are many other fine brothers and sisters that have stepped up to do Council work, too numerous to mention here. I will need all the help they can spare in the years ahead.
Last, but certainly not least, are the contributions that our Local officials make every day. The Locals are the backbone of our Council. As a Council, we have fought and won important victories at the national level. But there are equally important battles on behalf of the good employees we represent that go on all across the country, every day. One of my priorities is to figure out how this Council can better support these Local efforts. How do we collect, compile, and apply the collective wisdom of our Council and our Local officials and bring it to bear where it is needed? How do we best train and mentor our bright young stars, who have the skills and dedication and backbone that is required for this difficult but so rewarding work? I don’t have the answers to these questions, but I intend to work hard to find them. I will need your suggestions about how to meet these goals — and your help in pulling it off.
We are faced with many challenges. But together, we are strong enough to meet them. Together, I believe we build on past successes to make the Council an even stronger force for bringing about a more just workplace and a more effective agency. I look forward to working with you all to do exactly that.
In solidarity,
Mark Davis, President
NFFE Forest Service Council