Spano, Lupardo PEF’s 2006 Quality Service honorees

By SHERRY HALBROOK
Delegates to PEF’s convention last month in Lake Placid were keenly aware of the relevance of the coming November election on the public services they provide, on their work and retirement benefits and on their families and communities.

“Unless we elect a governor and state legislators who will do it (enact PEF’s legislation), it will never get done,” PEF Vice President Joe Fox, who now heads the union’s Political Action Committee, told a delegate who complained one of the union’s legislative issues had been on its list of priorities for years and still wasn’t achieved.

That’s why the delegates paused to recognize the support PEF’s legislation has received from state Sen. Nick Spano (R-35) of Westchester and Assembly Member Donna Lupardo, (D-126) of Binghamton.

“We have two wonderful honorees,” PEF President Ken Brynien told the delegates. “Unfortunately, they could not be here because they are involved in very tough campaigns.”

PEF delegates from their districts came forward to accept Quality Service Awards for the legislators.

Always there for PEF
“Sen. Nick Spano serves on every influential committee in the Senate,” Brynien said, “and he has upheld union principles throughout his many years of service.”

Spano sponsored PEF’s Workplace Violence Prevention Bill which was enacted into law this year, and the Cost-Benefit Analysis Bill which passed both houses of the state Legislature, only to be vetoed later by the governor. Spano was also the Senate sponsor of the Public Authority Reform Act.

PEF Region 9 Coordinator Neila Cardus, who led the group of delegates accepting the award on Spano’s behalf, recounted how he was a prime defender of services to the mentally disabled for many years when he was chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee.

“Remember how he fought for state services, not just in his own district,” Cardus said. “He marched for our Long Island members at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, when the state wanted to close it, and for our Region 3 members to defend their services.

“Nick Spano has always been there for us,” she said, “but now he is in the race of his life. He won by just 18 votes two years ago. Please do anything you can for him, because he has done everything for us.”

Early accountability advocate
“Donna Lupardo,” Brynien said, “has been an outspoken advocate for increasing government accountability and transparency, and sponsored our Contract Disclosure Bill, which has been signed into law.”

PEF Region 5 Coordinator Mary Twitchell, who led the delegates accepting on behalf of Lupardo, said the rookie lawmaker “came to our Go Public meeting and immediately recognized the importance of what we wanted to do. She said, ‘How can I help?’ and she sponsored some of our legislation.”

PEF has made helping the Lupardo and Spano election campaigns a priority and the delegates made many calls from the convention phone banks on their behalf.