Michael Lorczak, P.E., M.ASCE

ASCE's Leadership Training in Government Relations Program was created for "Key Contacts," members of ASCE's Grassroots Advocacy Program and was scheduled in coordination with the release of the recently completed 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. This half-day training program consisted of discussions about upcoming infrastructure-related legislation tips on how to maximize time during meetings with your legislators and—after lunch—a trip to Capitol Hill to our scheduled meetings.

As the President of the New York-based Met Section and a resident of New Jersey, I had opportunities to visit with legislators from both of these states. I met with the staffs of Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, Congressman Steve Israel (NY-2nd Dist.), Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12th Dist.) and Congressman John Hall (NY-19th Dist.) My mission was to provide them with a copy of the report card, and to urge them to support bills for the FAA Reauthorization, Surface Transportation Authorization and the Dam Rehabilitation and Safety Act.

I was impressed that the people we met with had such in-depth knowledge and understandings of each of the issues presented. They all commended ASCE on the report card work, and informed us of how critical it is for them to have the detailed information we provide. As I expected, each of the staffs are in full support of these issues, not surprisingly, funding in difficult economic times is the greatest challenge.

My experience in Washington made me consider what we can do to help advance these issues. While I don't expect everyone to make a trip to Washington, I do urge you, as a member of the Met Section, to contact your senators and local U.S. representatives. Remember, these officials work for all of their constituents, and a quick letter or email could influence their vote on the legislation that affects us all. I would also suggest that you take the opportunity to speak with them during their appearances in their home districts. It's up to all of us to keep our senators and representatives informed of the critical state of our infrastructure.

Closer to home, I wanted to draw attention some of our exciting events this month. Among them are our annual Ridgway Awards and Life Member Recognition Dinner on April 29th hosted by our Younger Member Forum. The Ridgway Awards are presented to local students in recognition of their dedication to their civil engineering studies and outstanding academic achievement. We will also honor the Section's engineers who have achieved Life Member status. It's a great event that brings together our most experienced members with the bright, young future members of our profession. I urge everyone to come and join the celebration.

As I noted last month, this year's Scholarship Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 22nd at the Grand Hyatt on 42nd Street. We will be honoring Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA-Capital Construction and Robert Dennison, Chief Engineer of NYSDOT. Please mark the date on you calendar, so we can make this event a huge success and continue the support of this important program.

Michael Lorczak, P.E., M.ASCE
President, ASCE Metropolitan Section