D'Amours' last hurrah should be his last

You had to be there! In a mere 28 minutes, NCUA Chairman Norm D'Amours single handedly threw a giant bucket of cold water on an otherwise well-orchestrated and totally upbeat CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference. If his goal was to put a final exclamation point on his legacy as Chairman, in front of over 3,000 credit union devotees, he succeeded big time. Apparently his six previous GAC appearances didn't give him enough of an opportunity to show that he is completely out of touch with credit unions. He had to use appearance number seven to thumb his nose at just about everyone who has made credit unions a national success story. To the everlasting credit of the stunned audience, they showed him a degree of courtesy and respect he didn't deserve. What a perfect chance D'Amours had to salute credit unions by quoting chapter and verse from the latest, very positive, industry statistics. Or congratulate credit unions for their flawless handling of the Y2K situation. Or give a positive spin to his NCUA annual budget and strategic plan. Or praise the assemblage for the outstanding numbers that the most recent bipartisan surveys produced regarding the American public's perception of credit unions. Or praise CUNA for its many initiatives that dove-tailed with his limited but ongoing personal agenda. Such as Project Differentiation. Such as small-credit union assistance programs. Such as an ambitious committee structure which provides an open forum for healthy discussion on major issues such as the threat of CU taxation. What a great opportunity his last hurrah (and he made certain it will be just that) provided him to extend an olive branch and attempt to go out on a positive note. Or to explain his perspective on the headline-grabbing hiring scandal that has rocked the agency. Or to address the industry's real issues such as bankruptcy reform, PCA (prompt corrective action), complex credit unions, compliance issues, taxation, and the relentless banking industry attacks. To know the combative personality of Norm D'Amours is to know that he would completely blow the golden opportunity like a little, spoiled brat. Instead of acting like the invited guest he was, he came in to CUNA's house and proceeded to kick the family pooch, criticize the furnishings, the food, and every member of the family. If CUNA ever invites him back to speak at any meeting, they need to have their head examined. It is going to take CUNA, NAFCU, NASCUS, the leagues, and credit unions working hard together to undo the damage his erroneous and ill-timed remarks have done. And NAFCU officials ought to also think twice of hauling him all the way out to Hawaii for their July annual conference so that he can kick sand in the faces of their delegates as well. Hopefully, his CUNA slap-in-the-face speech will be his last ever before any credit union audience. He deserves no less! Within the first minute or two, it appeared that D'Amours was going to depart from his single, canned speech that most of us could recite by heart. The fact that he stayed attached to the lectern (something very uncharacteristic for him), left no time for audience questions or comments, read a prepared script word for word, and spoke in a subdued monotone bordering on emotional distress, should have been enough of a tip off that, "here we go again." This time, however, he was more obnoxious than all his previous appearances put together. He obviously realized that this was his last chance to tell so many credit union leaders to go to hell at one time. And he left no one out. He chastised credit unions and CU organizations for "going in the wrong direction," and for "their lack of volunteer control." He bashed the national trade groups for caring only about their own pay and not having volunteers on their boards. In doing so, he clearly showed that he doesn't understand the definition of a volunteer. D'Amours obviously doesn't realize that the entire CUNA board, for example, is made up of unpaid volunteers. No board member is paid for serving on the CUNA board. The fact that some board members may have a full-time, paid job in a credit union doesn't make them any less of a volunteer than someone who may have a full-time, paid job working for a sponsoring corporation. D'Amours continued his personal venom against league CEOs, many of whom were seated directly in front of him because they had been lauded earlier by CUNA CEO Dan Mica. What a direct kick in the pants to a group of leaders who played such a key role in the passage of H.R. 1151. After finishing his lambasting of just about everyone connected with credit unions, the self-proclaimed movement savior described the perfect credit union world. It would be made up of only small credit unions with completely protected FOMs to make certain they stayed small, run completely by volunteers, and supported by low-income paid staff. When D'Amours finished, the applause from the fire-breathing audience was polite. When NCUA Board Member Dennis Dollar was immediately thereafter introduced, he almost received a standing ovation at the mere mention of his name. What a unique way to boo the previous speaker. D'Amours was seen one last time at the conference. He participated in a session featuring a chance to talk one-on-one to each member of the board and regional directors (including those whose hands had just been slapped). Each of these individuals stood near a sign giving their name, title, etc. One regional director was observed next to the wrong sign. One wag speculated that it was simply another false duty location. Most conference participants came to talk with Dollar and Yolanda Wheat. Their lines were longer than the typical wedding reception line. As for D'Amours, he was last seen talking to one of the hotel's waiters. Comments? Call 1-800-345-9936, Ext. 15, or Fax 561-683-8514, or E-mail mwelch@cutimes.com.