Mark Dattel became AUSPL’s President effective May 1, 2019. His message to AUSPL members is below.
To all members of AUSPL:
After nearly 25 years of involvement with the AUSPL, I am honored and excited to serve as the next president of our Association. It is remarkable to reflect on the growing influence and significance of our group. The AUSPL has grown as the challenges that face the lessor community have increased, causing us to expand our role with the USPS and with the individual lessors. The challenges remain, and looking forward, the Association will continue to represent all lessors as we work with the USPS. My hope is that AUSPL and the USPS can work together to bridge the differences and create a better relationship and more stable investments for postal lessors.
One area that I think shows the growing significance of the AUSPL is through our legislative efforts. While Congress is still debating postal reform, it is becoming increasingly clear that we have made the issues of the lessor community known to lawmakers and to the postal service in an ongoing effort to assure fairness in the leasing program. For the last several years, we have sent members to Washington, D.C. for our annual Hill Day event. This gives members a chance to visit with their Congressional representatives to explain the benefits of the postal network and the importance of protecting it. Many members of Congress don’t even know about the post office leasing program until we educate them about it. Even if you are unable to attend Hill Day, the Association can still help members contact their Senators and Representatives to express their views on the postal reform legislation and its potential effects on rural communities. We also continue to operate the AUSPL political action committee, and donating to it is another great way to help protect post offices.
Our most recent conference in San Diego, California was a resounding success. The conference is a great opportunity to meet other lessors, learn about changes in postal leasing, and meet vendors who specialize in various issues effecting post offices. Members often find that many of their concerns or questions are common to other lessors. I encourage any of you who have not attended an AUSPL conference to consider coming to our next one in Orlando on April 30 and May 1. The Association also conducts regional conferences throughout the year, in which members can get many of the same benefits in a smaller 1 day event. One such regional conference was held in Austin, Texas on May 17, 2019, and three others are being planned for later in the year. You can go on the AUSPL website and get more information or register.
And, finally, I would like to recognize AUSPL’s immediate past President, Gary Phillips, for all of his dedication and hard work. Gary has worked tirelessly on behalf of lessors by implementing our new inspection program. He also has spent countless hours meeting with post office officials, insurance companies, and others to promote and improve the Association. I sincerely hope to build upon the improvements that Gary has put in place and work to make the AUSPL even better.
Mark Dattel
