Feel the energy of Campaign ’08

By SHERRY HALBROOK
“Excitement” and “energy” are two words that keep popping up when PEF leaders and staff talk about members’ involvement in the 2008 elections.

Add hard work and determination and you come up with the formula that helped push most of the PEF-endorsed candidates facing major-party challenges to victory in their September 9 primaries.

Now, the focus has shifted to the November 4 general election and the organizational gears are spinning.

You’ve got the power
"Our political power is only as strong as our members' participation,” said PEF Vice President Joe Fox, who heads PEF’s Political Action Committee (PAC). “Volunteering for endorsed candidates is critically important.”

He cited the example of Buffalo where “PEF Region 1 is recruiting volunteers to go to Cleveland to campaign for presidential candidate Barack Obama, and they are excited to be going.

PEF has expanded its process for mobilizing activists for priority campaigns throughout the state, Fox said. “All of the campaign opportunities are online.

“PEF members and retirees anywhere in the state can volunteer to work on state or national campaigns by clicking here,” Fox said. “It will take them to our Action Center where they can volunteer for local and national races.

“They can even volunteer to go to a battleground state to work for 11 days with all travel, meal and lodging expenses paid by COPE. Members would only need to contribute their time and effort.”

Fox said, “We’ll get volunteers out in critical elections throughout the state. We’ve seen what’s been happening on Wall Street and we know how important it is to have lawmakers who support us as we head into what is shaping up to be a tough fight next year.”

First things first
The bulk of the primary battles were fought in the New York City area, where winning a Democratic primary often is tougher than the general election.

“We did well, very well,” said PEF political organizer Musa Moore who helped coordinate the union’s activists working in the downstate races. "It was energized. It was exciting. Easily we had two to three dozen volunteers working in New York City at any given time.

“We did lots of mailings, phoning, door-to-door and literature drops, and we helped get voters out to the polls on primary day.”

Some downstate candidates, such as Michael McMahon, state Sens. Serphin Maltese, Frank Padavan and Caesar Trunzo, and Patricia Eddington and Janele Hyer-Spencer in the Assembly still face tough November elections and PEF will help them.

“Folks are excited in New York about the Obama presidential race,” Moore said. “There’s strong Obama support downstate. A lot of PEF members are excited about supporting Obama when he debates McCain at Hofstra University.”

In the Capital District, PEF Region 8 Coordinator Tom Comanzo ran phone banks for congressional candidate Paul Tonko, a former PEF member and state Assembly member.

Comanzo also took Tonko to the Region 8 Retirees meeting to talk with them. And twice PEF mailed information about its endorsement of Tonko to about 6,000 PEF members and retirees in that CD.

Comanzo said in October and November Region 8 activists will call other members and retirees for Obama, Tonko and Kirsten Gillibrand who is running for her second term in Congress.

PEF Legislative Director Brian Curran said the union will be focusing much of its activism in western and central New York on helping congressional candidates Dan Maffei and Eric Massa, state Senate candidates Joe Robach and Dale Volker and Assembly candidates Al Stirpe Jr. and Sam Hoyt.

In compliance with federal election law, this material is paid for by the New York State Public Employees Federation — Committee on Political Education (COPE), a separate, segregated fund at PO Box 12414, Albany, NY 12212; phone: 518 785-1900; and was not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.