Three statewide union officers and five Executive Board members were re-elected by union delegates to the 2009 Spring Delegate Assembly in Albany. Three first-time board members were also elected to two-year terms during the two-day policymaking convention.

UUP President Phillip Smith defeated challenger Weston Kennison of Geneseo, 173-128.

“Phil Smith is a leader with creative ideas and quiet diplomacy,” said Jamie Dangler of Cortland in her nominating speech. “A vote for Phil is a vote for competency, integrity, transparency and democracy.”

In separate elections, Secretary Eileen Landy and Membership Development Officer Edward Quinn won re-election, both by votes of 171-129. Landy was challenged by Philippe Abraham of Albany; Quinn faced a challenge from Beth Wilson of New Paltz.

Returned to the statewide Executive Board were Michael Smiles of Farmingdale, who ran unopposed as the representative from a specialized college; Laura Rhoads of Potsdam, who was challenged by Robert Compton of Oneonta, 185-111; Glenn McNitt of New Paltz, over challenger Lawrence Ashley of Cortland,

164-123; Edison Bond of Brooklyn HSC, over challenger David Hartle of Canton, 191-82; and Caroline Bailey of Environmental Science and Forestry, over challenger John Delate of Purchase, 149-111.

Newly elected to the Executive Board were Robert Reganse of Farmingdale, over incumbent Ezra Zubrow of SUNY Buffalo, 153-137; David Curry of Plattsburgh, over challenger Jacqualine Berger of Empire State College in a run-off election, 143-136; and Brian Tappen of Upstate Medical University, over incumbent Darryl Wood of Binghamton, 157-109.

The new leaders take office June 1.

A number of resolutions were debated during the convention. Delegates:

• OK’d by acclamation a special order of business congratulating and thanking the UUP Outreach Committee and Co-chairs McNitt of New Paltz and Thomas Tucker of SUNY Buffalo;

• Acknowledged by acclamation the distinguished service of outgoing Executive Board members Kennison, Wood and Zubrow;

• In two separate resolutions, praised members of the?Elections and Credentials Committee and UUP Director of Technology Laura Kirch for their successful efforts in streamlining the election process;

• Adopted a special order of business to extend the union’s sympathy to labor pioneer Charles Hansen of SUNY Stony Brook on the death of his wife Theresa;

• Directed President Smith to urge U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer to oppose the appointment of William Hochul as a U.S. attorney for Western New York. The union claims that Hochul is “a political zealot,” as evidenced in his “reckless and politically motivated prosecution” of UUPer Steven Kurtz. The mail fraud case was dismissed by a federal judge in April 2008.

• Adopted a resolution from the Nursing Professions Work Group condemning the closure of the nursing program at New Paltz and working to secure $118 million to save this and other programs from the budget ax;

• Approved a resolution submitted by the Labor and Higher Education and Solidarity committees in support of USLAW’s efforts to determine a grassroots labor position on the war in Afghanistan, and to have a discussion of the issue at the 2009 Fall Delegate Assembly in Rochester;

• Adopted a resolution from the Part-time Concerns Committee to endorse Organizing for Unemployment Reform in New York (OUR New York), an initiative of the National Employment Law Project;

• OK’d a resolution submitted by the Women’s Rights and Concerns Committee to send a letter of congratulations to Adelphi University professor Judith Cohen and her colleagues on their successful class action lawsuit to gain pay equity;

• Supported a resolution from the Committee on Active Retired Membership to join Rekindling Reform, an organization of labor unions, health professionals, community-based advocacy associations, and Medicare and Medicaid groups committed to “restoring Medicare to its original purpose” and against privatization; and

• OK’d a resolution from the Task Force on Emerging Issues of Diversity calling on UUP to urge lawmakers and SUNY officials to elevate the Office of Diversity and Educational Equity to a position of greater prominence in the Chancellor’s Cabinet.

— Karen L. Mattison