After a full week of serving as your council president, I can say our union is strong and we are better because of the leadership of Bill Dougan. We are thankful that Bill did all that he did. As I take the responsibilities on as your council President, my priorities will be to continue to build on the work Bill set out to accomplish as identified from the 2004 convention. These priorities include building the membership, training of our union officials, and continuing our lobbying and legislative activities.

If, in order to be a successful leader you must surround yourself with good, competent, enthusiastic, and supportive people who believe in what we are trying to accomplish, I am in good hands. You and I are truly blessed with the many dedicated, hard-working brothers and sisters of our executive board, FSC committee chairs and their members, and our local officers and members who are as dedicated as I am to making a difference in all our lives, as well as making the Forest Service better for not only ourselves, but future generations of employees. I cannot, nor will I be, a successful leader going it alone. It will truly take all of us continuing to work together for us to be successful and effective with the many issues we, as well as our agency, are facing today. I am truly thankful to all of you for your offers of encouragement as well as your commitment to help out in anyway possible as I begin work as your council President. I'm confident that together we will be successful in our endeavors because of the tireless dedication you give to our Union and the employees we represent everyday.

As Bill said, we all know our work is never easy work, nor will you receive proper recognition or thanks for all that you do. Please accept my thanks and know that you are making a difference in all of our lives through your efforts and I'll do everything I can as your president of our great union to continue the good fight.

In Solidarity,

Ron