PEF’s ‘referee’ dead at age 71 By SHERRY HALBROOK He wasn’t a PEF leader or even a member, but he played a unique role in expediting virtually every important PEF action or decision from the union’s very beginning until the present. As the union’s parliamentarian, Ed Alfonsin was midwife to the creation and every evolutionary step of PEF, and that’s why the union is mourning his death in January at age 71. Alfonsin was a SUNY professor and elected leader in United University Professions when he began serving PEF as its parliamentarian. He retired from SUNY in 1996, but continued to serve PEF at nearly every convention and board meeting through 2011. Seated on the dais next to the presiding officer at meetings and conventions, Alfonsin was the final arbiter on questions of parliamentary procedure and Roberts Rules of Order. His advice kept innumerable stormy debates focused and productive. He also helped inexperienced leaders as they presided over debate and moved agendas. “I have only good memories of Ed,” said former PEF president Jim Sheedy. “Ed was looked on by all sides as totally fair. I never heard anyone say a bad thing about him.” Another retired PEF president, Roger Benson, said, “Ed had the incredible ability to understand all the balls that were in the air and keep them moving in a fair and honest way. His decisions were never shaded to benefit one party over another.” Retired PEF Region 7 coordinator Bill Crotty said, “Ed always acted in a fair and impartial way. He had no ax to grind.” Although he sometimes challenged the rulings of the chair, retired PEF board member Ron Goldstein said, “I had tremendous respect for Ed.” He and Alfonsin grew up in Brooklyn and shared a fascination with public transit, Goldstein said. “We had many conversations about trolleys. I’ll miss him."

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