Michael Lopez, President of the Oregon State Police Officers' Association On The Last Four Years
As I ask for your support for another term as OSPOA President, I want to take this opportunity to provide the membership with a summary of what we've accomplished over the past four years.
In fact, I'd like to make this an annual tradition, regardless of whether there's an election or not. Call it a State of the Union address, if you will. I believe members deserve a regular accounting of where their Association stands, what we've accomplished, where we've fallen short, and what challenges lie ahead.
When I considered running for reelection, I asked myself a simple question: How should the membership evaluate the performance of an OSPOA President?
We work in an organization where performance evaluations are part of our professional lives. We're evaluated against established expectations and key performance measures. The President of our Association should be evaluated in the same way.
After giving it some thought, I identified five key performance measures that I believe provide a reasonable basis for evaluating the performance of an OSPOA President:
Collective Bargaining
Negotiating wages, benefits, and working conditions that improve the lives of our members.
Read the full articleDiscipline & Arbitration
Protecting our members' rights and ensuring they receive fair treatment when facing disciplinary action.
Read the full articleLegislative Efforts
Advocating for laws and policies that protect and benefit our membership.
Read the full articleMembership Communication & Engagement
Keeping members informed, involved, and connected to their Association.
Read the full articleBusiness Affairs
Responsibly managing the finances, property, and day-to-day operations of OSPOA.
Read the full article
This webpage has a separate article addressing each of these areas. I encourage you to read them and draw your own conclusions about our performance over the last four years.
If OSPOA were a football team, I believe it's fair to say we've had four successful seasons.
I want to be clear that I'm not claiming sole credit for the accomplishments we've achieved. We have an excellent team of bargaining representatives, SEC members, legal counsel, and members who contribute to our success.
But every successful franchise has a head coach or quarterback who leads the team. If that team loses for four seasons, people would want a new coach or quarterback. Even the best quarterbacks occasionally fumble the ball, throw an interception, or call the wrong play. There have been decisions I would approach differently today, and there are areas where we can and should improve.
But overall, I believe we've had four successful years, and I'm proud of the direction our Association is heading.
I'm not going to fill this campaign with grand promises about everything I'll magically accomplish over the next three years. Instead, I'm asking you to evaluate what we've actually accomplished during the last four.
My commitment is to continue building on that record, learning from our mistakes, and maintaining the positive trajectory we've established.
As you read through the articles on this website, I'd encourage you to think about the same performance ratings we're all familiar with. If, after reviewing my record, you believe I've met your expectations as OSPOA President, I would appreciate your vote for reelection.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my record, and thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. It has easily been the most challenging, but also the most rewarding, position I've held in my entire working career.
Michael LopezPresident, Oregon State Police Officers' Association