New PEF E Board tackles broad range of issues
By SHERRY HALBROOK and MEGHAN ALLEN
PEF’s regional coordinators and members of its PEF Executive Board elected to three-year terms in the summer of 2009 were given the oath of office at the board’s first meeting following the elections. It was held August 13 and 14 in Albany.
The board voted to endorse two city mayoral candidates for the November 2009 elections: William Thompson in New York and Corey Ellis in Albany.
The board also debated and amended the proposed PEF federal and state legislative agendas for presentation to the 2009 PEF convention in September.
Robert Reynolds was appointed the board’s new sergeant-at-arms.
Board members Kevin Kallin, Gale Baptiste-Graham and Dan Steen were elected to serve on the advisory committee to the PEF Political Action Committee.
PEF President Ken Brynien reported on the state’s mounting budget deficit and described how the union was preparing facts and data for distribution to state legislators, the governor and the news media on the savings the state could achieve by reducing its reliance on private consultants, and by full staffing to reduce overtime.
At Brynien’s request, the board members submitted notes on how the federal stimulus funding was or was not affecting operations at their state agencies. PEF has since analyzed those comments from the board members and reported it in a letter to President Barack Obama. (See related story)
PEF Secretary-Treasurer Arlea Igoe reported how state budget cuts in 2009 had affected PEF members.
Igoe agreed to investigate how the greater use of new technologies and social networking sites might improve PEF communications or reduce expenses. Igoe said PEF’s Web site soon would be redesigned.
(Minutes of the meetings are posted on the Executive Board page at www.pef.org)
PEF’s regional coordinators and members of its PEF Executive Board elected to three-year terms in the summer of 2009 were given the oath of office at the board’s first meeting following the elections. It was held August 13 and 14 in Albany.
The board voted to endorse two city mayoral candidates for the November 2009 elections: William Thompson in New York and Corey Ellis in Albany.
The board also debated and amended the proposed PEF federal and state legislative agendas for presentation to the 2009 PEF convention in September.
Robert Reynolds was appointed the board’s new sergeant-at-arms.
Board members Kevin Kallin, Gale Baptiste-Graham and Dan Steen were elected to serve on the advisory committee to the PEF Political Action Committee.
PEF President Ken Brynien reported on the state’s mounting budget deficit and described how the union was preparing facts and data for distribution to state legislators, the governor and the news media on the savings the state could achieve by reducing its reliance on private consultants, and by full staffing to reduce overtime.
At Brynien’s request, the board members submitted notes on how the federal stimulus funding was or was not affecting operations at their state agencies. PEF has since analyzed those comments from the board members and reported it in a letter to President Barack Obama. (See related story)
PEF Secretary-Treasurer Arlea Igoe reported how state budget cuts in 2009 had affected PEF members.
Igoe agreed to investigate how the greater use of new technologies and social networking sites might improve PEF communications or reduce expenses. Igoe said PEF’s Web site soon would be redesigned.
(Minutes of the meetings are posted on the Executive Board page at www.pef.org)