PEF activists helped boost candidates to election victory

By SHERRY HALBROOK
The candidates PEF backed in the November elections were overwhelmingly successful.

“It was a very good election for us overall,” said PEF Legislative Director Brian Curran. “Our candidates won in nearly all of our targeted races. We contributed to their campaigns and did mailings to our members for all of them. But in many cases, our members did much more.”

“Our activists — members and retirees — put out a huge effort in some of these races, working week after week for underdogs and never faltering in their determination to make a difference,” said PEF Vice President Joe Fox, who chairs the PEF Political Action Committee.

From Long Island to Buffalo and Elmira, PEF activists — members and retirees — were working hard for candidates (regardless of party affiliation) endorsed by their union.

Sending new voice to DC
“Our members joined activists from many other labor unions in really getting behind Democratic challenger Kirsten Gillibrand in the 20th Congressional District, which covers a big area and is heavily Republican,” Fox said.

“We kept pushing, and she kept gaining until they were neck-and-neck by Election Day,” he said. “It was an uphill battle all the way, but she won and our members know they were a big part of making that happen.”

The union, he said, is heavily restricted by federal law on what it can do on behalf of candidates for Congress and other federal offices.

“They can restrict the money, staff or other services we put into campaigns,” Fox said, “but they can’t restrict the mobilizing and professional skills our volunteers bring to these efforts. They know how to get things done and they do.

“PEF members worked on the Gillibrand and other campaigns at nights and on weekends and holidays because they felt very strongly about the need to change the political climate in Washington and to elect people who would represent the real needs and priorities of workers and their families,” Fox said.

Gillibrand, a political newcomer, visited PEF headquarters Election Day to thank volunteers who took the day off from work to call voters.

“She said the phone banks here at PEF were the most effective of any in her campaign,” said PEF Region 8 Coordinator Tom Comanzo.

“We had a pool of approximately 50 Region 8 activists and their family members who worked on her campaign, along with Gillibrand’s own campaign volunteers who started phoning from PEF in August.”

Some activists also went door-to-door in Lake Placid, Hudson, Clifton Park and Glens Falls for Gillibrand.

Tough races across NYS
Region 8 also supported Assembly candidates Bob Reilly and Tim Gordon. And some even traveled south to Region 9 on two weekends to help support the re-election of state Sen. Vincent Leibell, a Republican, in the 40th SD.

PEF Region 9 activists also supported state Sen. Nick Spano — a Republican and winner of PEF’s 2007 Quality Services Award for his sponsorship of PEF’s accountability legislation and long history of defending state services who was narrowly defeated.

According to PEF Director of Member Mobilization Margaret Messer, who’s department worked closely with the Legislative Department to coordinate PEF activists in the campaigns, other PEF regions also made strong efforts.

“Region 1 did a great job supporting Francine Delmonte’s successful re-election to the Assembly and Democratic challenger Eric Massa’s bid in the 29th CD where he fell just short,” Messer said.

Massa also got help from Region 3 activists. And they worked for the re-election of Democrat Susan John in the 131st AD.

Region 1 had more volunteers than phones, and so did Region 6, where they were supporting Democrat Michael Arcuri in the 24th CD and newcomer Joe Griffo, a Republican, in the 47th SD, Messer reported.

Region 5 activists focused their efforts mainly on re-electing Donna Lupardo, who was successful in the 126th AD, but also found time to support Gillibrand in their corner of the sprawling 20th CD.

In Region 11, the volunteers worked to re-elect state Sen. Frank Padavan, a Republican, in the 11th SD, and they also helped two non-incumbents win — Democrats Janele Hyer-Spencer in the 11th CD and Andrew Lanza in the 24th SD.

On Long Island PEF members and retirees got behind the re-election campaigns of two state Senate Republicans, John Flanagan and Caesar Trunzo in the 2nd and 3rd districts, respectively. And the activists helped push Democrat Marc Alessi over the finish line in the 1st AD.

“We are building a base of more activists with more skills every year,” Fox said. “It was great to see their efforts rewarded this year with so many election wins.”

The Communicator Dec.06/Jan.07

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Clarification: A photo caption in the November issue of The Communicator should have said PEF Vice President Pat Baker and Regional Coordinators Dee Dodson, Vernetta Chesimard and Jemma Marie-Hanson coordinated the PEF Sept. 11 memorial service in New York City.