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To say that 2008 is a key election year is an understatement. Beyond voting for a new president, New Yorkers will determine which political party controls the state Senate, and will influence the battle for control of the U.S. House.
Amid that political scenario, more than two dozen UUP members gathered in mid-August in Albany with hundreds of Political Action Committee members of NYSUT — UUP’s statewide affiliate — at NYSUT’s 2008 Presidents’ Conference on Endorsements. The unionists got together to recommend candidates to endorse for the state Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives. NYSUT’s Board of Directors selected the final list of endorsed candidates based on the recommendations of the members.
Tax cap flap
“It’s time to take the gloves off,” UUP President Phillip Smith told UUPers during a meeting prior to the conference. He said that SUNY is already under the gun because of the state budget cut of $148 million, and the prospect of a school property tax cap carries negative consequences for UUP, SUNY and NYSUT.
“If there’s a tax cap, any school shortfalls will have to be made up by state funds, and that takes money away from SUNY,” Smith said.
“The state Senate passed a tax cap bill that’s going to destroy our public schools,” NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin said. Noting that senators risked losing the union’s support if they voted for the tax cap during a session in July, Lubin added, “This union will not be taken for granted.”
UUP Vice President for Academics Frederick Floss carried that message forward in his role as chair of the western New York regional meeting.
“We need to send a message to legislators that you won’t get our support by voting against our number one issue,” he said. But Floss also said that a vote to withhold support from senators who voted for the tax cap could be revised later by NYSUT’s Board of Directors based on subsequent actions the lawmakers may take.
The conference attendees decided — and NYSUT’s board approved — to withhold the endorsements from every senator – 31 Republicans and six Democrats — who voted for the tax cap.
Two years ago, the emphasis at the endorsement conference focused on wresting control of Congress away from conservative Republicans. This year, NYSUT’s priority is maintaining and expanding the majority Democrats won in 2006.
Lubin expressed optimism that the Democrats will strengthen their majority. He said polls NYSUT commissioned show that three freshmen Democrats the union backed in 2006 that went on to victory — Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hall and Michael Arcuri — are all leading in their respective re-election races.
“We stand a chance to pick up more seats,” Lubin said. “We can affect the outcome. It’s time to get to work.”
Overall, NYSUT endorsed candidates in 155 state legislative races — 124 Democrats and 31 Republicans — while staying neutral or withholding endorsements in 57 other contests. For Congress, NYSUT backed 27 Democrats and one Republican, while declining to endorse a candidate in one other race.
The union’s endorsement not only means campaign contributions, but also additional support from the state’s largest union phone-bank operation.
Meanwhile, the unionists also paid tribute to a political figure who is not running for re-election. Lauding former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno as a “phenomenal friend of education,” NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi and Lubin presented the retired lawmaker with a crystal dumbbell, symbolizing Bruno’s strong leadership. Bruno drew a standing ovation.
— Donald Feldstein