Issue Number 996 | Leading the Charge | Advocate.com Leading the Charge  |  | Advocate.com

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Leading the Charge
In October, Aubrey Sarvis took the helm at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. Will his Rolodex of political and business bigwigs be enough to overturn “don’t ask, don’t tell”?
From The Advocate  November 6, 2007
Leading the Charge

U.S. Army veteran Aubrey Sarvis has won his share of skirmishes in Washington. As chief counsel for the Senate Commerce Committee, he helped push through historic airline deregulation; as Verizon’s top lobbyist, he fought for the landmark overhaul of U.S. telecommunications law. But as the new executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the 63-year-old South Carolinian could be in for his biggest battle yet.

Do you have what it takes to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell”?
The challenge is not unlike my previous experiences. On the Hill it was about moving legislation and persuading the president to sign it. It was the same in the private sector -- bringing before the Congress the business and practical realities of particular legislation. Here, we’re faced with bringing before the Congress the practical realities of a really bad law.

What is your game plan for getting lawmakers’ attention?
Do you expect that the issue will progress differently with a Democratic-led Congress? We have to go before the House and Senate Armed Services committees and make our case. It’s one vote at a time. It’s sitting down face-to-face and telling our story and making the case that it was a mistake in 1993 when Congress passed this law.

What is priority number 1 as you embark on this challenge?
Creating a national political campaign. This is a new commitment from the board, and it and the staff are committed to raising the resources to mount this. It’ll look like a traditional national presidential campaign: We’ll go to targeted congressional districts; we’ll focus on targeted states. The organization has already been doing that, but we have to do a hell of a lot more. 

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