We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. When NYSUT fights, we win. In late June several NYSUT-backed candidates won primary election campaigns statewide.
NYSUT members helped get out the vote through phone banking, direct mail, hustle, digital ads and a robust door-to-door campaign. Here's a recap of a some of the June 27th victories.
Rochester
Thanks to a strong, two-month long mail, phone, text and canvassing campaign, NYSUT-endorsed candidates Beatriz LeBron; Amy Maloy, Brighton Teachers Association; and Isaiah Santiago won seats on the Rochester City School Board. In a still too-close-to-call race, union-endorsed candidate Ricardo Adams trails his opponent by 50 votes. The four candidates faced off against a pro-charter-school slate with support from the the Rochester TA and the Rochester Association for Paraprofessionals.
Rochester TA member Mary Lupien was re-elected to the Rochester City Council, East District, where she serves as vice-president.
Central New York
Maurice “Mo” Brown, Onondaga Community College Federation of Teachers, won a resounding victory in the Onondaga County Legislature race. A graduate, student advisor and success coach at Onondaga Community College, Brown was endorsed by the Central New York Political Action Committee. Although he will face a Republican challenger in the fall, he’s expected to win in the heavily Democratic district.
The Syracuse TA endorsed Tamica Barnett; retired Syracuse TA member Gwen Raeford; Ranette Releford; and retired Westhill TA President Mike Root in the race for Syracuse Commissioner of Education, the city’s school board equivalent. Barnett, Raeford and Releford won while Root trailed by less than 0.5 percent. The race now goes to a state-mandated hand count with results expected by July 6
Westchester County
Two NYSUT members won re-election in Westchester County races. Terry Clements, New Rochelle FUSE, was re-elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators’ 11th District. Incumbent Derrick Thompson, both a member of the Mount Vernon TA and its endorsed candidate, was re-elected to the Mount Vernon City Council.