The Importance of Elections
The Branch 6000 nominations for officers were held at the September 17th Branch meeting. All sitting officers, except one, were elected by acclimation. The only contested position was Trustee #2, a non-salaried position. Both incumbent trustee Rich Hipp and Charlie Caputo, shop steward Greenlawn/Centerport are running for the position. All members that are listed in the National database at the time of the mailing, in Branch 6000, will receive ballots. Please take the time to fill out your choice and mail the ballot back in the time frame allotted.
As for the National NALC elections, as of this writing almost all of the ballots have been sent to the membership. The ballots must be back in the PO box that is being used for the election by October 19th. If the ballot is not back then, even if postmarked earlier, it will not be counted. This is a very important election for our organization as well as the direction of the NALC and the health of the service itself. I hope you all voted for your choices. If you did not cast a ballot, don’t complain if you are not happy with whoever gets elected to run the organization. Too many people do not take advantage of their absolute right to vote in elections. Those that do not vote have the tendency to complain the most while those that do vote feel they did their duty and usually accept the results. The people I support do not always win, but I always feel confident that I made my voice heard. Whatever happens, if you get this article before October 15th, fill out your ballot and get it in asap.
There are major elections going on in November for state and local positions in government. All of our congressional positions are up for election. Many state positions are up for election. The state elections are very important to what is happening in your state and communities.
Whoever is going to be Governor is at the head of the state elections and then right on down the line.
Who is going to be your sitting congressperson? Educate yourselves on who you want to vote for. Get the facts. Do not pay attention to all the crap on TV ads and social media. They all lie or stretch the truth. They are all looking to get elected or reelected to their positions at any cost. Dirty pool is the name of the game in politics, and it is worse than ever in our current state of government. Do your own research to see what those who are running have accomplished in their lives. What promises by those running has been made and accomplished or broken? You need to make the educated election of the people who impact your daily lives.
The Congressional elections will have a great impact on our livelihoods. Congress can make or break us. If the wrong people get elected, we could, very honestly, lose all we have worked for over the past 50 years. Your benefits, retirement, health and every other aspect of the job could and probably will, change. So cast your ballot, but do it with knowledge, not out of anger or someone tells you what to do. We all make recommendations based on who we believe is best for our jobs, but in the end, it is up to you and your families to cast the final ballot.
