Pub. 3 2013 Issue 4

14 www.azbankers.org P a ul Hickman, CEO of The AzBA, has a long history with Sena- tor John McCain. After working on the Senator’s government and campaign staffs for close to 18 years he certainly has fond memories and exciting stories of the campaign trail. But his visit to his office this past August was not to reminisce. Paul and his Communications Director, Theresa Kleinlein, accompanied five bank presidents to Senator McCain’s Phoenix office to discuss the issues most important to the banking industry. The visit began with more of a focus on current events than banking as Redress of Grievances Arizona Bankers Lobby U.S. Senator John McCain McCain took an emergency phone call from Vice President Joe Biden to discuss Syria. Upon returning to the meeting the senator gave the bankers a break- down of his stand on immigration and explained how this issue will eventually have a direct effect on banks in terms of employment and lending. The bankers then addressed McCain on what they, as an industry undergo- ing fundamental changes, need from him. Mike Thorrell, President and CEO of Pinnacle Bank, led the conversation by advocating for a delay in the new mortgage rules. Industry vendors do not have enough time to update their equip- ment for full compliance by the first of the year. The bankers also made the case for equal tax treatment for credit unions and more rational capital stan- dards applied to community banks. Government relations advocacy is the cornerstone of the AzBA’s mission. Paul and his team meet with govern- ment officials at all levels and branches of government throughout the year -- in Arizona and Washington D.C. If you are interested in participating in any of these dialogues please contact Paul at the AzBA. w *AzBA phone: 602-258-1200, Phickman@Azbank- ers.org