Pub. 16 2019 Issue 3

Issue 3 • 2019 7 O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S affairs committee dedicated to legislative and regulatory issues, employing a lobbyist to promote legislation and forming a PAC. The acronym “PAC” stands for political action committee, which are organizations set up for the purpose of collecting contributions from a number of people, aggregating those con - tributions from a number of people, aggregating those contri - butions into a large pool, and then making contributions from that pool to campaigns of political candidates that are likely to advance or support the interests of our industry. NewMexico BankPAC is the bipartisan political action com - mittee of the NewMexico Bankers Association. It was organized in the 1970s at the request of bankers to provide an organization through which bankers could participate more effectively in financially supporting political candidates who understand and are supportive of the interests of the banking industry. In January 2020, the NMBA will kick off our 2020 New Mexico BankPAC fundraising campaign. The political season, also known as the election cycle, will be underway in January. All state House and Senate members are up for election or re-elec - tion, as are our U.S. House Congressional delegation and the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring U.S. Senator TomUdall. The number of fundraisers that we will attend is staggering. After all, there are 42 state Senators and 70 state members in the Legislature alone. NMBA President Jason Wyatt and I have come up with a few thoughts which we believe will assist bank - ers in their internal fundraising campaign. • Fundraising goal: We have set a fundraising goal of $20,000 for the State PAC and $10,000 for our federal PAC. Dollars invested in the Federal PAC by New Mex - icans are matched two to three times by the American Bankers Association, providing considerable leverage to our local investment. • Communicate the value proposition of investing in NewMexico BankPAC: Help explain that partici - pation in BankPAC represents a banker’s: ▫ Professional interest in maintaining a fair, competitive atmosphere within the financial services industry; ▫ Commitment to a high standard of banking in New Mexico; ▫ Interest in fostering an ongoing dialogue between banking and public policymakers. • Go deep throughout the organization: Don’t forget the roots! A BankPAC fundraising campaign is about political grassroots efforts. Go deep in your bank. Share information about New Mexico BankPAC with your team and offer the opportunity to be a part of collective action on behalf of their industry. New Mexico law allows bank - ers at all levels to be engaged. Often, bankers indicate they have not participated in BankPAC because they The Advisors’ Trust Company ® Zia Trust, Inc. 505.881.3338 www.ziatrust.com 6301 Indian School Rd. NE Suite 800, Albuquerque, NM 87110 We work alongside your customers’ investment advisors • As a New Mexico banker, you retain your important customers while Zia Trust serves as trustee of their trust • Zia Trust is a trustee only - we offer no depository services • Serving clients throughout the state with offices located in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces Partnering with Community Banks to Serve Trust Clients Photo courtesy of John Hayden n EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE continued on page 8