ALEXANDRIA, Va.–Were it not for one person’s need for some sleep and to get married, another person wouldn’t be serving on the NCUA board right now.
At the conclusion of the NCUA board’s most recent meeting, two of its members took time out to salute the retiring Mike Radway. Radway is leaving as senior policy counsel to Board Member Todd Harper (and is being succeeded by Catherine Galicia). As CUToday.info reported here, Radway was part of an important piece of credit union history two decades ago. It’s a history that also altered the career of Harper.
Tireless Advocate, Except…
“Mike has been a tireless advocate for credit unions, except for one occasion,” said Harper. “ “While (Paul) Kanjorksi’s (D-PA) legislative director (in the mid-1990s), Mike was intimately involved in the content and timing of the Credit Union Membership Access Act (HR 1151). Initially the House wanted to use HR 1151 as an engine to pass the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, but Mike was canny enough to know if the two were linked together, it would slow down HR 1151. Mike worked without sleep over two days to educate lawmakers over why the Credit Union Membership Access Act needed to move on a separate track. Two hours after going home to get sleep, the House leadership announced a standalone bill. We tried to reach Mike and could not, and that forced me to get a crash course in policy issues.
“A short time later Mike moved to Oregon to get married and that made me Kanjorski’s policy director. I can honestly say I am here today because of Mike Radway’s decision to get some rest and get married.
“He has always been looking for ways to find common ground. I am going to miss his encyclopedic knowledge of financial services issues,” Harper said.
‘What a Pleasure’
Following a round of applause from those on hand, NCUA Board Member J. Mark McWatters added, “It has been a pleasure to get to know Mike. People often wonder what we do, how the sausage is made. The sausage is made by people talking to people. I had a no fly zone around former board member Rick Metsger (due to government rules), so I had to deal with Mike (for whom Radway was also senior policy counsel). What a pleasure it’s been over the years to do that. Why? He’s collegial. He’s fair minded. He’s collaborative. It doesn’t mean you agree on everything, but if you approach things with the understanding reasonable minds may differ and that you will listen to principled arguments you can get much accomplished.”