Editor:
August 3, 1981 is a date I will long remember. It was the day the air traffic controllers union known as PATCO convinced its members to participate in an illegal walk out. It was a day that changed the Federal Aviation Administration in more ways then the general public will ever understand. It went from a work force comprised of mostly military bred controllers who were high school educated only, to a group of employees with two to four years of college in their resume. It also changed the intellect in a positive as well as challenging way for us as supervisors.
Mike Wood was one of those people who came to us after the walk out. I had the great fortune to have Mike on my team during his first years at Portland. I knew him as a controller and worked with him later on as supervisors. Mike is one of those men and women who helped put us back on our feet after the problems of August 3, 1981. It didn’t take us long to understand the resource we had with the addition of Mike Wood to the facility. Mike is a team player and goes out of his way to establish a free flow of communication. Mike has shown he knows how to study a problem, find a logical solution, then present it in a format that is easily understood.
During sometimes intense staff meetings Mike was always able to bring things into perspective. Knowledge, a sense of humor as well as a great deal of integrity are some of the qualities that come to mind when I think of Mike. Those qualities along with his honest desire to serve his community make him an ideal candidate for a position on the town council. Mike will not be intimidated. He will make decisions based on what is best for the people of Scarborough. Mike is one of the most honest men I know and I hope you will give him your vote. I know my wife and I will.
Wayne E. Owen
Scarborough