Credit Union Advocates “PAC the House” During MAXX 

Posted by Patti Hazlett on October 21, 2024

GoWest credit unions took the title “PAC the House” seriously as over 150 advocates turned out for the new signature event at MAXX in Denver.  

“PAC the House” was hosted by PAC Trustees and the GoWest Advocacy Team to support the Political Action Committee (PAC) and strengthen our community engagement. The event raised more than $18,000 to support candidates whose values align with credit unions.  

The event included fundraising for credit union friendly candidates, networking for MAXX attendees, and a chance to hear from two Colorado candidates with a passion for credit unions. Jeff Crank, Candidate for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District and Jeff Hurd, Candidate for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District joined advocates to spoke about their campaigns and the importance of supporting credit unions should they win their upcoming elections.  

Longtime credit union advocate and current board member at Bellco Credit Union (CO) Pete Kirchhof summed up the importance of supporting the PAC by saying “as I used to tell my clients, if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. It’s really important that we as credit unions elect people that support credit unions so that we can be successful in what we do. The PAC gets the right people elected and it pays off down the road.”  

The importance of electing credit union supporters and the bipartisan nature of the movement is top of mind for Matt Stephenson, President & CEO of Rogue Credit Union (OR). “Credit unions’ future is in the hands of politicians a lot of the time and we’ve got to be engaged. One of the things that we have going for us is that our message as credit unions should resonate with both sides of the aisle and we can leverage that to make sure that the future of credit unions is strong for our members, and we’ve got to have a voice to do that. The way politics works today is that it takes money.” 

Seth Shafer, EVP & Chief Impact Officer for Rivermark Community Credit Union added, “supporting the PAC is leaning into our superpower which is collaboration, and I don’t think we keep our tax status without it and the PAC is the engine to make that collaboration go. To me, the PAC is a vital part of our voice to ensure that we can continue to do what we’re designed to do.”  

The private event was held on the Veranda at the Gaylord Rocky Mountain Hotel on Wednesday, October 16 during the MAXX Convention. Attendees took advantage of the incredible fall weather in Colorado to bolster political involvement and celebrate PAC Champions. 

Posted in Advocacy on the Move.