In the midst of a tumultuous political year, nearly three dozen UUPers got together with hundreds of NYSUT Political Action Committee members at NYSUT’s 2010 Presidents’ Conference on Endorsements. They faced a daunting task: selecting which candidates to support in an election that will decide New York’s next governor and the political party that will control the state Senate.

NYSUT Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta set the tone when he opened the mid-August conference in Albany.

“We didn’t like what we got” from a state budget that was adopted 125 days late, he said. The budget slashed $152 million from SUNY and $1.4 billion in state aid to public schools.

“Do we reward bad behavior?” Pallotta asked, suggesting a standard for determining which candidates do not deserve endorsements. “We have to stand strong and say: ‘You have done this to public education and we cannot back you.'”

Candidates’ positions on the so-called Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act (PHEEIA) proved to be a critical factor in determining who walked away with a NYSUT endorsement.

“We cannot support anyone who supports PHEEIA,” UUP President Phil Smith told the conference. Recognizing that PHEEIA is still lurking despite the fact it was put aside as the budget was finalized, Smith added, “We’ve got to drive a stake into PHEEIA once and for all.”

Tom Tucker of Buffalo Center drew a strong analogy to impress upon NYSUT’s K-12 members the threat posed by PHEEIA: “PHEEIA is as dangerous to us as charter schools are to K-12.”

PHEEIA sparked emotional debate in a meeting of members from Western New York, where “UB 2020” legislation germinated PHEEIA. Among their decisions they faced: whether to endorse Sen. William Stachowski (D-Lake View), who held up final passage of the budget for weeks in an effort to include PHEEIA. For Buffalo HSC Chapter President Ray Dannenhoffer, the question was a no-brainer.

“He championed a bill that would destroy SUNY,” he said. The group eventually elected not to endorse Stachowski or any of his opponents.

A sure indication of just how careful conference members were in handing out endorsements was clearly reflected in the race for governor. Despite Democrat Andrew Cuomo’s huge lead in the polls, conference attendees suggested no endorsement. Pallotta referred to Cuomo’s support for PHEEIA among other considerations. Pallotta explained NYSUT could revisit its decision about Cuomo later if they got an indication that Cuomo’s stances had favorably shifted.

In other statewide races, NYSUT threw its support behind Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. No endorsement was made in the race for attorney general, pending the results of the September primary.

The NYSUT Board of Directors selected the final list of endorsed candidates based on the recommendations of its members. The union’s endorsement for statewide races, Congress and the state Legislature not only means campaign contributions, but additional support from the state’s largest union phone-bank operation.

— Donald Feldstein