Citizen Airmen also citizen servants

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Williams
  • 934th Airlift Wing
Minneapolis-St. Paul --  During political campaigns, the slogan "every vote counts" is heard far and wide as candidates make their appeals asking potential constituents to vote for them.
For one member of the 27th Aerial Port Squadron, nine votes made a difference between being just a "Citizen Airman" and adding "Citizen Servant" to his title. Staff Sergeant Eric Fisher won his April 4 election to the non-partisan village council for Roberts, Wisconsin by a count of 147 to his opponents' 138.
In this growing Western Wisconsin town, people requested Sergeant Fisher to run against his predecessor, who frequently ran unopposed. Two years ago, while the sergeant was deployed overseas, a movement was underway to elect him on a write-in campaign. He lost by nine votes. 

"In 2005, people I knew sent letters in their care packages informing me of their intention to vote for me as a write-in candidate during that election," Sergeant Fisher said. "The election in 2007 sprung out of the one two years ago. I saw a need for better communication between elected officials and the public, and it spurred me to do it."
While Roberts may have only been a small village of 969 people in the 2000 census, he said a lot has changed since then. The village has been experiencing rapid growth this decade, including the addition of three new subdivisions, and he believes the population now may be around 1,500. The next census, taking place in 2010, will determine whether the village has grown enough to be classified as a town. 

"You get opportunities to take leadership roles in the military, which always helps," he said regarding how his military experience helps his civilian leadership role. "The more people are informed, the better they are of actions that take place in their community and in the military." 

Being a "Citizen Servant" is nothing new for Air Force Reservists. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is an Air Force Reserve Command colonel and judge advocate, and Dave Kleis left the 934th Airlift Wing in 1995 to run for mayor of St. Cloud. He lost in his 1995 bid, but was successful in a later bid for State Senate, which he served until winning the mayoral election in 2005. Retired Brigadier General Dennis Shulstad served on the Minneapolis City Council for years, while a public affairs officer in the AFRC individual mobilization augmentee program. 

The 27th Aerial Port Squadron is also the military home to a sitting State Representative, Master Sgt. Bruce Anderson.
Sergeant Anderson began his political career in 1984 as a volunteer for Pat Truman's challenge to U.S. Representative Gerry Sikorski in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District. While Truman didn't win, it served as a catalyst for the sergeant's later attempt at the congressional seat. 

In 1990, at the urging of his late wife, Dorothy, he ran for the Republican endorsement against four other candidates for the right to challenge Rep. Sikorski for the seat. As the last candidate to enter the endorsement contest and least known, Sergeant Anderson won the endorsement, but lost in the general election.
"I was green when it came to running for Congress in 1990," Sergeant Anderson said. "My wife was the one who motivated me. She was my rock when it came to her political savvy. I miss her a lot." Dorothy Anderson passed away from cancer-related complications last fall. 

Two years later, he lost the Republican Congressional primary to Rod Grams, who went on to win the congressional seat. Sergeant Anderson was persuaded to run for the newly created House District 19B seat that year, and went on to lose to incumbent State Representative Stephanie Klinzing by only 543 votes. He defeated her two years later by double that margin.
"For me, as a government official, it's been a goal to keep the vision of freedom as set forth by our founding fathers. Freedom is a key component," he remarked. "It's also about focusing on the needs across the state and seeing that we can work hand-in-hand to help communities across the state. There are issues that tug on my heart strings that I pursue even though I may not represent that district. I believe we are representatives of the whole state." 

Even though he didn't win, Tech. Sgt. Paul Ives, 934th Airlift Wing chapel assistant, ran for State Representative in House District 39A in 2004, losing the open seat by a narrow margin to Rick Hansen (DFL - South St. Paul). He considered the experience worthwhile.
"I have no regrets for running. I'm thankful for the experience," Sergeant Ives said. "You see things from a new perspective and gain a deep appreciation for those who run. Even if you don't agree with their views, you still respect them for running because it's a difficult job."
"My military experience gave me the drive to work hard and put my best foot forward," he continued. "It looked like the right thing to do at the right time."
"Running for State Representative gave me the contacts, credibility and name recognition for a subsequent appointment to the West St. Paul charter commission. That turned out to be a good thing," he concluded. 

Both Sergeants Fisher and Ives have not closed the door to future political endeavors.
"I'm going to see where this takes me, so who knows," Sergeant Fisher said. "I'm not opposed to running for something else, but I'm not making any preparations at this time."
Sergeant Ives, said, "While I don't have plans to run for anything at this time, I'm always keeping the doors open. I might run for a local office in the future."
Tech. Sgt. Doug Schaller, 27th Aerial Port Squadron, also serves as a public official. He was elected as a township supervisor for South Bend Township in Blue Earth County, Minnesota in 1998 to fill a vacancy. He is currently the South Bend Township board chairman.