BACKING PATAKI — The night before the election, PEF members Eileen O'Brien, Joan Shaw, Barbara Weber and Peggy Fletcher show their support for the governor at a welcome home party in Peekskill. — Photo by Sue Brocher

PEF’s political action efforts pay off big throughout the state

By SHERRY HALBROOK
The vast majority of the nearly 250 political candidates endorsed by PEF came through the November 5th election gauntlet with flying colors.

Republican Gov. George Pataki and Lt. Gov. Mary Donahue were re-elected, as was state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat.

PEF-for-Pataki signs were in evidence at campaign rallies and the union helped push his numbers higher in areas such as Long Island.

PEF efforts to get out the vote for Alan Hevesi, another Democrat, paid off when he came out on top in a close race for state comptroller.

A long line of Hevesi signs bedecked PEF headquarters and volunteers worked the phone banks for Hevesi.

PEF also had put a priority on helping more than a dozen state legislative candidates in particularly difficult campaigns.

“Only two of our priority candidates — Democrats Steve Delaney in the 121st Assembly District and Fred Amato in the 134th AD — lost their elections,” said PEF Political Director Bob Bain.

Among the few PEF-endorsed candidates in non-priority races that lost their elections were Matthew Spano in the 60th AD, Patricia Ritchie in the 118th AD, Ed Barber in the 127th AD, Nellie Santiago in the 17th Senate District and Vincent Gentile in the 22nd SD.

CALLING ALL MEMBERS — PEF member Phil Sullivan helps get out the vote for Gov. Pataki in Poughkeepsie just before the election. — Photo by Sue Brocher

Region 12 makes it happen
“PEF Region 12 made a difference for incumbent Assembly Member Pat Eddington in the 3rd District on Long Island. The Democrat won with 52 percent of the votes, to her challenger’s 48 percent,” Bain said. “Most of our other priority candidates won by more comfortable margins.”

With the Region 12 coordinator’s post vacant following the retirement this fall of Ruth Gaines, Jonathan Gittens had his hands full as chair of the region’s political action committee.

Along with Eddington’s Assembly race, Region 12 had a priority campaign for Republican John Flanagan in Senate District 2.

“Dennis Baranec is the PEF political action liaison (PAL) for Eddington, and he went to her campaign office many times to help,” Gittens said. “We also have a new political activist, Ian Weitz, who works in New York City, but lives in Flanagan’s district. After work almost every night, Ian went to help Flanagan. These two members, Dennis and Ian, really made PEF a presence in these campaigns.”

Baranec and Weitz weren’t the only activists working hard on the Long Island campaigns, Gittens said. “Joe Allen and Debbie Hernandez are two of the others who were helping.”

PEF political organizer Matt Watson also worked on campaigns in Region 12.

SUPPORTING A WINNER — PEF members Bernie Kahn, Alan Schulkin, Nithia Chatterjie and Matthew Kahn join Assemblyman Michael Cusick (center) at a campaign event for the 63rd Assembly race.

Region 1 scores big
PEF Region 1 members, led by Coordinator Joyce Degenhardt and Political Action Committee Chair Rich Sweeney, worked very hard for the re-election of Francine DelMonte in the 138th AD and Dick Smith in the 146th AD, both priority races. The result: Two solid wins.

“I am so proud of that woman,” Degenhardt said of DelMonte, who scored 64 percent of the vote.

But achieving the victories — one in Niagara County and the other in Erie County — was no “piece of cake.”

“We used phone banks at Francine’s campaign office to call our members on her behalf,” Degenhardt said. “We also mailed postcards to all of our members in her district, and we were involved in the writing, stuffing and mailing of 7,650 ‘union-to-union’ letters to every union member in the 138th district.”

“We phone banked from our own offices for Dick Smith, we helped deliver campaign literature for him, sent postcards to our members and attended his fundraiser,” Degenhardt said.

“We also worked as poll watchers for the candidates on election day,” Degenhardt added. “I can’t say enough about our volunteers and our Region 1 PAC chair, Rich Sweeney. It’s not easy when you have to coordinate races in different counties. He did a really good job covering both races.”

Building political capital
Several other PEF regions, such as Region 9 in the Hudson Valley, also got real workouts this year.

“It’s great to see so many successful efforts going on at the same time throughout the state,” said PEF Vice President Ken Brynien, chair of the Statewide PAC. “It’s important to keep involving new activists in this process, because many experienced activists, such as Ruth Gaines, are retiring.”

The rapport that develops between activists and the political candidates they help, builds tremendous political capital for the union Brynien said.

Gittens agreed. “Many PEF PALs really become ‘pals’ with their legislators,” he said. “The PALs spend a lot of time educating lawmakers about our issues and really want to work on their campaigns.”

The legislators remember that we take care of them, and they do their best for us.”

PEF Headquarters in Albany supports Hevesi. – Photo by Mario A. Bruni

COMMUNICATOR HOMEPAGE
Inside This Issue:
Features
PEF’s political action efforts pay off
Union's top COPE-people take a bow
Nurses protest at SUNY Downstate Med.Center
Long view snags threat to PEF jobs
PEF Scholarships and financial aid
- January time to apply for student financial aid
- PEF to award 10 Scacalossi Scholarships
- Unions offer $$$ to top students
- Neil Boyle lives on through scholarships
- Tap into a Union Plus scholarship

Departments
President's Message: Ready for '03 challenges
You Said It: Member's letters this month
Member Mobilization:Building union power
Nurses' Station: Fight for healthier health care
Health Notes: Choosing your health plan
Retirees In Action: Legislative battles ahead
Member In Action: Highlights page
PEF Membership Benefits Program & Travel Corp

Union Matters
Trustees Report to the '02 convention
Agency-fee procedure outlined
Financial Supplement (Audit)
PEF helps spotlight poor care, understaffing
Members’ 9/11 tribute on US State Dept. Website
Union striving to keep service-credit bill alive
Members' vacation credits safe
Members on military leave health insurance safe
Court: GOER must enforce order at SIF
PEF rallies to aid injured member at DOT
Test drive online training
Contract offers DOCS members help with tuition
ERI windows already opened or opening
File your HCSAccount claims by Mar. 31
E- Board makes decisions at Aug. meeting
Black Caucus to host Holiday Party

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