BLE Members serve in office

BLE members are heeding the AFL-CIO's call for 2000 -- electing 2,000 union members to office by the year 2000. Two BLE members hold positions in state legislatures and countless others hold local offices.

One of the two state legislators is L. Brent Boggs, BLE Political Affairs Coordinator and a member of BLE Division 751 in Gassaway, W.Va. He has been a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for two terms and is running for a third term this election season. Boggs is "working his way up the ladder" in the House and serves on several committees, including the Education Committee, the Roads and Transportation Committee and is the vice-chairman of the Agriculture Committee. Boggs said that his position on the Roads and Transportation Committee gives him the opportunity to be an excellent spokesman for railroad safety and the railroad industry.

Brother Boggs' advisees fellow BLE members who may want to run for office to have a supportive family and to look to your fellow BLE members and other union members for a base of support.

BLE member and Idaho House of Representatives member Kent S. Kunz is known in his Idaho district as the "Train Guy." Kunz is a member of BLE Division 228 in Pocatello, Idaho, and has served in the Idaho House since 1996. He will be running again in 2000 for his third term.

Brother Kunz serves on the Transportation Committee of the Idaho House. In this capacity, he has worked to lobby for the causes of the railroad industry. One of his biggest issues is the projected use of heavier trucks on the Canamex Highway, which is being proposed and will run from Alberta, Canada to Mexico. He has also worked extensively with the state Public Utilities commission to improve sanitation in locomotive cabs.

Kunz's advice to fellow BLE members who may want to run for office is simple: "do it."

"Public service is a sacrifice, but it is very rewarding. The failures come often and may be frustrating, but every once in a while, you win and the success feels amazing," said Kunz.

Other BLE members who have held positions in state legislatures include, Patrick Galvin and Bill Wilson. Both held positions in the Montana Legislature.

Galvin was a member of the Montana House of Representatives and a retired member of BLE Division 499 (Whitefish, Mont.). He has retired from the House now and is enjoying time with his family.

BLE Division 504 (Great Falls, Mont.) member Bill Wilson serves in the Montana State Senate. He was first elected in 1992 and was re-elected in 1996. He is excluded from running again for the State Senate by term limits, but is considering a run for the State House.

The BLE Washington, D.C. office is currently trying to get an accurate accounting of members holding office. Please contact them at: 10 G Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002 or call (202) 347-7936.

© 2000 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers