Public Employee Press

Political Action 2003
Union candidates sweep primaries

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

District Council 37 picked all winners in the Democratic Party’s 2003 Primary Day elections Sept. 9. The Green Machine of union volunteers was visible on sidewalks and at bus stops, subways and shopping malls from 6 a.m. until after dusk, campaigning for candidates in 18 of the most competitive races for City Council.

“This is the first time the union has had a 100 percent winning ticket in any election,” said DC 37 Political Action Director Wanda Williams.

In the days leading up to Primary Day, DC 37’s Political Action and Legislation Dept. mailed campaign literature, and hundreds of volunteers placed thousands of telephone calls to potential voters from DC 37’s computerized phone banks to get the word out about the candidates who stand with working families.

Leading by example, DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts and Political Action Committee Chair Leonard Allen set out on a daylong campaign trail. In the Bronx, they campaigned with Annabel Palma, a former Local 1199 member who, on her first try, won the race in the Soundview section. In Queens they worked with incumbent City Council member Alan Jennings, who fought the odds to retain his Jamaica seat and won by a narrow margin, and City Council Majority Whip Leroy Comrie was joined by Speaker Gifford Miller and State Senator Malcolm Smith while greeting potential voters.

“I am a worker, and together we’ll get the job done,” Ms. Roberts told union volunteers in the Bronx. “Our jobs and quality of life depend on the outcome of these races. I can feel the spirit of victory here, because we are surrounded by so many hardworking volunteers.”

Additionally, Queens Council member James Gennaro, Bronx Council member Larry Seabrook, Manhattan’s Miguel Martinez, and Brooklyn’s Diana Reyna and Erik Martin Dilan of Bushwick received encouraging support from Ms. Roberts and other DC 37 leaders and volunteers. All outpaced their opponents.

Although there were no citywide or statewide elections this year, the DC 37 Political Action Dept. worked from eight auxiliary campaign sites and set up field operations in four boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. Of the 51 City Council members, 20 incumbents, including the speaker, did not have primary opponents. They will face Republican challengers in November.