Two elected to fill midterm Executive Board vacancies By SHERRY HALBROOK Two candidates were elected in December to fill midterm vacancies on the PEF Executive Board. Robin Matthews was elected to fill Board Seat 440, which represents all members of PEF Regions 9-12 at the state Office of Children and Family Services and members at Brookwood Center. Stephen Geyer was elected to Seat 510. It represents members at the state Department of Transportation’s Region 8 in the Poughkeepsie area. Members elected to fill midterm vacancies will serve until the regular three-year terms expire July 31, 2012. 2012 special elections First-quarter special elections are underway to fill what has grown to be eight more midterm vacancies. Nominating petitions for candidates for those seats became available January 5. Those vacancies are: • Seat 35, which represents certain members at the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), including those at Clinton, Camp Gabriels, Camp Adirondack, Camp Moriah, Franklin, Altona, Bare Hill, Mt. Lyon, Upstate and Chateaugay correctional facilities; • Seat 54, which represents certain members at the following state correctional facilities: Arthurkill, Queensboro, Bayview, Edgecombe, Lincoln and Fulton, and at DOCCS administrative offices in New York City; • Seat 155, which represents certain members at the Adirondack Park Agency; • Seat 165, which represents certain members at the state: Police, Office of Criminal Justice Services, Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, Crime Victims’ Assistance, Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Corrections Commission; • Seat 207, which represents all members of PEF Regions 1-9 at the state Insurance Fund in the claims department, including A&R, actuarial and IT services; • Seat 220, which represents all members of PEF at the state Workers’ Compensation Board; • Seat 245, which represents all PEF members at the state Labor Department in PEF Regions 10-12; and • Seat 275, which represents certain members at Hutchings Psychiatric Center, Hutchings Children’s Psychiatric Center, and PEF Region 4 members at: Central NY Developmental Disabilities Services Office; the state Office of Mental Health (OMH) main office; Central New York Psychiatric Center; the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (now the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) main office; and at OMH. Candidates for these midterm vacancies must have submitted their nominating petitions to the PEF Special Elections Committee by January 27. If more than one candidate is certified for a seat, an election will be held. Ballots will be mailed February 22 for return by March 14 and counting by the AAA March 15 in New York City.

The Communicator Letters policy We welcome letters to the editor about union issues and events relevant to PEF's diverse membership. All letters are subject to editing for space, fairness and good taste. Please keep them brief (up to one page, double-spaced or a maximum of 250 words), and please include your name and phone number for verification. Send letters to thecommunicator@pef.org: The Communicator Public Employees Federation P.O. Box 12414 Albany, N.Y. 12212-2414 Email to Sherry Halbrook, Editor or Darcy Wells, Editor-In Chief