Getting Back to Business

by Chubby

I hope everyone enjoyed a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I used the little time off that I had to spend time with my family and friends and relish what I have. But January is here and it’s time to get back to business.

I don’t remember a time when our biker day at the Capitol was so early in the year, but our legislative committee chair works diligently to find the right time to effect change for the betterment of all motorcyclist’s lives, and the committee has decided that Jan 23, 2020 is the time to get things done. At this time, besides staying in the faces of our legislators, we will be pursuing a few key topics. Autonomous vehicle regulation is important to all motorcyclists and we will be highlighting the importance of restricting platooning and including signage, making them a separate class of vehicle, regulating lanes of travel, and continue to pursue rigorous testing of all autonomous vehicles with motorcycles. We will also be looking to find an answer to making poker runs legal for fundraising purposes in WI. While we have worked diligently at finding alternatives to poker runs and remaining legal with the gaming commission, many other entities have been allowed to run fundraising poker runs and our regional donations have suffered. Which means the money we put towards safety and education has been greatly affected. We will look at ways to make them legal for everyone. Motorcycle profiling has been quite evident throughout the state in recent years. We would like to address this fact with our legislators and work towards solutions that end these already illegal practices in Wisconsin. Free bus rides are available, schedules in this newsletter. And, the CC Riders have once again made their clubhouse available as a shuttle bus location which will get you to ABATE HQ at Inn on the Park if you choose to drive yourself. I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Officer’s Training is next February 7-9 in Wisconsin Rapids and there will be plenty to learn for everyone attending. Our committee has stepped out of the box a little, although many of the presentations will be familiar to some. The theme this year will be “Be the Best of the Best” and we will highlight why our organization continues to lead the way in the national motorcyclist’s rights movement and why. What your regional officers learn here will be vital to how well your region runs in the upcoming year. Our Friday night session will be similar to last year’s with a meet and greet and a question and answer session with all committee chairs available for one on one Q&A. This session is a great introduction for new officers and a great refresher for experienced ones and also frees up some time for Saturday break-out sessions. Break-out sessions are used when the information you’re learning is mission specific. For example, our state treasurer will give a break-out with regional treasurers. But some things are pertinent to everyone and will be discussed in general session for everyone to hear. And, there is plenty to get excited about this year. We took input from our officers that filled out last year’s exit survey and have adjusted the schedule just a bit. No, there will not be more free time. But we have shortened the breakouts for both treasury and products to make sure those officers are available to attend other sessions. So, bring your thinking caps and your fresh ideas and be ready to learn. And, get ready to be fired up about ABATE of WI. Sunday we’ll finish up with some motivation from Hardtail and both a national and state legislative overview. So, while somethings never seem like they will change, there are plenty of new things to learn and many reasons to join us next month.

While doing research for my presentation a few years ago, I came across some things that Hardtail presented at officer’s training some time ago that spell out the responsibilities that not only regional officers, but all members should share. Some things are worth repeating, and I have many times now, so I’m going to do it again with the idea that a little reminder of what we’re about and where we should be going never gets old. There are four basic principles organizations need to remain successful and if we practice these regularly to the best of our abilities, ABATE of Wisconsin, Inc. could be even more successful in our fight for freedom of the road.

1) We need to respect and value each other. This means all bikers, no matter what they ride. Members and non-members, and even the non-motorcycling public.

2) We need to sweat the small stuff and take great pride in being really good at the basics of our organization. This includes administration at all levels, legislative actions, and knowledge of the political system and its use. You should know the history and current makeup of our organization, the programs we run, and the issues we currently face. Being a grassroots organization means that we rely on our members to get the word out about what we’re fighting for and why it means so much to us. As I’ve said before knowledge is power, use the information we give you and make a difference.

3) We should treat every penny as if it were our own, and use all our resources to the fullest, wasting nothing. This includes our volunteer’s time, individual member’s talents, and those who support ABATE in various ways. It also includes outside sources such as the media, the DOT, conferences, and our methods of funding. It must also include many relationships in the political and legal arenas. Fiscal responsibility is a great measure of success and that is why we have numerous controls in place that seem like such a hassle, but without them we wouldn’t be in the fine administrative shape or financially as strong as we are. Every member is privy to our budget and expense reports, and welcome to voice their opinions on how ABATE of Wisconsin Inc spends its money.

4) We must be accountable to each other for results and act as if we were all owners of the organization. We need to be visible and accessible to one another, communicate well, and understand we are all in this together. If something doesn’t go quite right, we need to fix it. While our methods may vary from time to time, we must remember that we are all in this movement to keep motorcyclists safe, educated, and enjoying the freedoms we currently have.

At Officer’s Training, our Deputy Director and highway safety committee chair, John Reblin, will be making several things available to every region in the state. We will also be offering awareness yard signs again to each region also with the ability to purchase more if desired. Bumper stickers will be there once again. And finally, since we will all most likely be driving in cages, many forms will be available from the state office and our state treasurer if you are running low. Leave plenty of room in your vehicle for the return trip.

While everyone may not have the time to hold a position in this organization, or attend Officer’s Training, everyone should take the time to be as informed as possible about how we do business. Attend a meeting, read your newsletter, or open up our website and you will be able to find everything you need to know in order to become a motorcycle issue expert. Your resources are endless, and I encourage you to use them. I look forward to seeing everyone at Officer’s Training, if we haven’t met, please stop and introduce yourself.

Until next month…Ride Free.

Chubby