Before God and the bus driver we are all equal.-German Proverb.

I do not mean to say we are bound to follow implicitly in whatever our fathers did. To do so, would be to discard all the lights of current experience - to reject all progress, all improvement.-Abraham Lincoln, Address to Cooper Institute

It is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that equality is an ethical and not a biological principle.-Ashley Montagu

When the National Association of Fleet Administrators was founded some 27 years ago by a handful of altruistic and farsighted charter members, the objective was to professionalize fleet administrators. A quarter of a century later, this goal remains paramount, and the founders, plus dozens more who have provided leadership for NAFA over the years, can point with pride to the progress, growth, and influence within this vital segment of the automotive industry.

From that humble beginning in the Midwest in 1957, when about two dozen assembled with Sam Lee (a founder and lessor who obtained vital sponsorship) to organize what has become a national group with operating chapters in the U.S. and Canada, the association today includes some 1,300 fleet-administrator member companies and supports the formation of growth of the NAFA Foundation.

Membership has remained fairly stable during the past few years in spite of the addition of new regional chapters. The fact remains that another 10,000 full- and part-time fleet administrators exist and are in need of professionalism. This lack of an aggressive stance may simply be attributed to the NAFA board, which is almost wholly made up of "establishment" veterans who consistently control each new slate of candidates for any new board vacancy. These veterans are often characterized as "anti-lessor," "anti-import," and "anti-change." Running cross-cut, refreshingly, is Dick Gravesmill, the '84 chairman, who has demonstrated that innovative management-level programming with a high caliber faculty can bring a new meaning, vitality, and record attendance to the Conference, elevating it above the traditional basic re-hash of "101" courses.

NAFA now operates on a yearly budget of over a half-million dollars. Remarkably, nearly one-third of NAFA's total membership is made up of "affiliate" or "allied" members who pay annual dues of over $100,000. These same "allied" members also support, through advertising to the tune of over $200,000 yearly, the NAFA Bulletin and the Conference News. "Allied" members pay for exhibit space at the annual Conference Fleet Fair, generating another $50,000. (These monies total more than half of NAFA's yearly budget ... but there's more.)

These same "allied" members host lavish receptions and dinners at the annual Conference. "Allied" members have consistently voluntarily contributed some $40,000 each year for the conference Affiliate's Party. They are also the same members who lend strong support to local chapter meetings (often outnumbering the fleet administrators in attendance), give assistance to local chapter programming, and are directly responsible for a major portion of the gifts and prizes awarded at meetings and outings. It also happens that these same "allied" members are now supporting the NAFA Foundation with generous donations as well as the Certified Fleet Management Program in which affiliates participate and whose graduates outnumber the fleet administrators.

As you may well know, it is the same "allied" members who earn recognition for their support and contributions, although they are not allowed a voting membership in NAFA. The natural question is "how are the 'allied' members supposed to be heard within the closed board room of NAFA?" The answer lies in the single regulated advisory seat on the board created to placate the many voices of interest and concern.

Even here the most sanguine may be interested to learn that a new NAFA Board policy has been instituted affecting the Affiliate's Committee, which has traditionally presented a candidate slate for this opening to be voted upon by "allied" peers.

The current president has announced that the nominations for the Affiliate seats are now passé, a decision made in the infinite wisdom of the veteran NAFA Board. The board has found it in the best interests of the association and more rewarding to simply appoint their own hand-picked Affiliate Advisory Board Member. There will be no more boat-rocking or innovative communication waves made by the "allied" faction.

In a time when we have successfully placed men on the moon, taking a giant step for mankind, NAFA's Board has found the "allied" threat too dangerous; they have chosen to take a giant step backward.

Regretable.