GAINES

GITTENS

Complex process
If you are a Democrat, you had to be accepted by a presidential candidate's campaign committee. Then you must circulate petitions. If you got enough signatures and were certified by your county Board of Elections as a candidate for delegate, you will still have to be elected in the March 7 primary.

Getting elected is complicated. Both Al Gore and Bill Bradley will be on the ballot in the New York primary. If they split the vote evenly in your district, each will send half of their delegates from your district to the convention.

The delegate candidate with the most votes will go to the convention. Then the selection moves to the highest vote getter of the opposite sex and so on. The aim is to get a balance of men and women delegates to the convention.

If you are a Republican, you must begin the process by being accepted by the chair of your party's county committee. Then you have to circulate petitions, get on the ballot and get elected. After the primary, the state committees of each party will also choose a limited number of "at large" delegates to send to their national conventions.

Only Gore welcomed PEF
PEF made a strong pitch this year to get members selected as delegate candidates to both major party conventions.
"The presidential candidates have already decided whom they want on their tickets, and they are not taking anybody who is not on their list. We had 22 members who said they wanted to become delegates to the national party conventions," said PEF Vice President Ken Brynien, who heads the union's political action efforts.

"The Gore Campaign was the only one interested in accepting any of them.
"Gore took six members, including myself, who must run in our local districts to become delegates." More PEF members were selected than were selected from other much larger unions, such as SEIU 1199, DC37, or UFT. (See PROFILE below)
Bill Bradley's campaign was unwilling to accept any delegates from labor unions that had not endorsed him.
While PEF has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate, its international affiliates and the AFL-CIO have
endorsed Gore.

Anti-labor bias?
According to Brynien, about one quarter of PEF members are Republicans. For them, it can be an even tougher uphill battle to get to their national convention.

PEF Region 12 Coordinator Ruth Gaines (left) and Region 12 Political Action Chair Jonathan Gittens are Republicans very active in the political process on Long Island.
"We put our names out for selection as delegates, but we were pretty sure we would not be chosen," Gaines said.

"I guess that's because we're labor leaders and I married a Democrat who works for a Democratic legislator," Gaines said. "My husband has been a delegate to his party's conventions.

"It really upsets me that my party always calls itself the party of Abraham Lincoln and the party of inclusion, but it shuts us out because of our involvement with organized labor. They should remember that most voters have to work for a living, and workers need a union.

PROFILE
Ken Brynien, PEF Region 4
psychologist - Central NY Developmental Disabilities Services Office
"I'm very excited about going to the convention and I'm excited about meeting people right in my own community who are active in the political process. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I and the other five candidates to be Gore delegates in this district went door to door with our petitions. We needed 500 signatures, but we got 1,500. We are speaking to groups and organizations all over the district asking them to support Al Gore. We'll hold a Primary Day pancake breakfast on March 7 so people can eat and go right to the polls to vote. As the head of PEF's Statewide Political Action Committee, I've had a broader focus. I didn't appreciate the local activities until now. This requires different skills and it makes me a better activist. Also, I'm getting to know more town and county politicians and that's a good place to start building relationships now because some of them will be the state's political leaders in the future."

Jean DeBow, PEF Region 11
senior social services management specialist - Health Department
"I am an enthusiastic supporter of Al Gore because he has a strong record of support on a lot of working-class issues. I think the Clinton Administration has done a lot for working families and I don't want to see us lose that ground we've gained. I am excited about going to the National Democratic Convention. I'm told I'll be really busy. This is the first time labor has made a concerted effort to have a presence at a national party convention. Gore has selected a diverse slate of delegates. He is the only candidate who has opened it up to anyone. This is what America is all about - to have an opportunity to run for anything you want. It's a very important responsibility to select the candidate for president of the United States. It's a great opportunity that I thought I would never have. I feel very fortunate that I made the cut."

Booker Ingram, PEF Region 11
computer systems programmer - State Division of Human Rights

"Going to the Democratic National Convention in August seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. I hope to learn a whole lot more about the political process. I'm a member of the state Democratic Committee and also the district leader for the Democratic Party in the 42nd Assembly District here in Brooklyn. I support Al Gore because I believe he would tend to follow the path created by the Clinton Administration and have a similar philosophy and keep more of the same staff. A totally new administration would probably clean out everyone and start with all new people down a different path."

Dick Collins, PEF Region 9
vocational instructor - Green Haven Correctional Facility
"I was elected a delegate to the 1988 and '92 Democratic national conventions. I want to go this year as a Gore delegate because I think it's important for labor to make a good showing. I believe labor can make the difference in keeping a Democrat in the White House. I also think we can help the Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives and gain seats in the US Senate. I am running for Congress in the 19th District, even though it is strongly Republican. After running once before for this seat and doing well, I believe I can win by starting earlier and with more resources."

Carlos Garcia, PEF Region 8
associate in professional career opportunity - NYS Education Department
"I'm looking forward to going to the convention and becoming totally immersed in the political environment. Last year, I became a Democratic Committeeman in the Town of Colonie in Albany County. It was the first time I really got involved at the polls on Election Day. I'm learning to appreciate that the political process is much more complex than it appears to be. I believe Vice President Al Gore has the best chance to win the national election for president. And I'm glad to support him because he has demonstrated strong support for the issues that most concern working people, including education, and he has shown a firm commitment to affirmative action."

Antonia Estrada, PEF Region 8
teacher - Great Meadow Correctional Facility
"I've been involved in political action since 1964 - working on city and state political campaigns in the Bronx and on Mary Anne Krupsak's campaigns for lieutenant governor and for governor. In 1982, I moved to Comstock and went to work at Great Meadow Correctional Facility. This is a very Republican area, but I'm a born Democrat and I will die a Democrat. I am PEF's political action liaison for Assembly Member Bobby D'Andrea, a Republican representing this district. I want to go to the Democratic National Convention to represent the concerns common to all people, and to represent this community and PEF. I believe Gore is going to be an excellent president. I have been a strong supporter of him and President Clinton for the last eight years. I also admire Mrs. Clinton and support her campaign for the Senate."

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