Mulgrew scores overwhelming victory

UFTers watching the vote count are (standing, from left) retiree and former staff director Jeff Zahler, New Action Executive Board candidate Michael Shulman, Staff Director LeRoy Barr, New Action Executive Board candidate Jonathan Halabi, Election Committee Co-Chair Ray Frankel and ICE-TJC Executive Board candidate Gene Prisco.

In a landslide victory, UFT members elected Michael Mulgrew president of the union, giving him 91 percent of the votes cast. The American Arbitration Association announced the unofficial tally on April 8.

Mulgrew, the Unity Caucus candidate who was also endorsed by the New Action Caucus, received 41,521 votes. James Eterno, the coalition candidate of the Independent Community of Educators (ICE) and the Teachers for a Just Contract (TJC), received 4,075 votes.

“I am honored and humbled that the members have chosen me to continue to represent them,” Mulgrew said, “and I accept the great responsibility they have placed in my hands.”

Mulgrew became the UFT’s fifth president last July 29 after the Executive Board unanimously elected him to complete the final year of Randi Weingarten’s term. Weingarten stepped down to devote herself full time to her duties as president of the American Federation of Teachers.

He will begin serving his first term on July 1, when the new terms begin for all of the election winners.

Also elected on the Mulgrew/Unity slate are: Michael Mendel, secretary; Bob Astrowsky, assistant secretary; Mel Aaronson, treasurer; Mona Romain, assistant treasurer; Karen Alford, vice president for the elementary schools; Richard Farkas, vice president for the intermediate schools; Leo Casey, vice president for the academic high schools; Sterling Roberson, vice president for career and technical education high schools; Carmen Alvarez, vice president for special education; and Aminda Gentile, vice president at-large.

All of the candidates for high school representatives on the Executive Board were jointly endorsed by the Unity and New Action caucuses and all won. The Unity Caucus candidates for all the other seats in contention also won.

The complete official election results will be released by the American Arbitration Association at a later date. The final numbers will be posted on the UFT Web site and will also appear in a future issue of the New York Teacher.

Mulgrew has come up through the ranks. After more than 12 years in the classroom, five of those years as chapter leader at William E. Grady Career and Technical HS, he became vice president for CTE high schools in 2005. In 2008, he became the UFT’s chief operating officer, as well.

The number of in-service members and retirees voting this year increased compared to 2007.