PEF Members Re-elect Wayne Spence as the Union's President by a Large Margin

ALBANY, NY (06/26/2018) (readMedia)-- Ballots cast by members of the New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF) for the union's top leadership positions were counted today by the American Arbitration Association in Manhattan.

During this triennial election period, PEF members had to decide between three slates, Members' Voice, New York Union Proud, and Member Empowered Union.

Spence, who ran for a second term as president on the Members' Voice slate, received 6,346 votes, while Maureen Kellman of New York Union Proud received 2,066 votes and Kevin Hintz of Member Empowered Union received 1,438 votes.

Spence, a parole officer at the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, secured a new contract for PEF members with 2 percent across-the-board raises and no givebacks during his first term.

Spence said, "I am humbled and grateful that PEF members saw fit to return me to office and look forward to working with PEF's newly elected team to build on the many successes achieved during my first term as PEF president. Now, with a cohesive team in place, we are more committed than ever to building a stronger union together."

Spence's entire slate, Members' Voice, won all the top-elected positions.

Members elected Kay Wilke as the next PEF secretary-treasurer. She is an economic development program administrator at the state Department of Economic Development.

The union has three vice-presidents and the members voted in Sharon DeSilva, a senior attorney at the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance; Randi DiAntonio, a licensed master social worker at the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and Adreina Adams, a parole officer, who won a second term as a PEF vice president.

Members also voted for three trustees: Christopher Buman, a real property analyst at the state Department of Taxation and Finance; Jeanette Santos, a medical assistant specialist at the state Health Main Office, and, Maddie Shannon-Roberts, a disability analyst at the Office of Temporary Disability Assistance.

The new officers will be sworn in Wednesday, August 1, 2018, at PEF headquarters in Latham.

A referendum was included with the triennial election ballot, which proposed that PEF move from holding an annual convention to a triennial convention. It did not pass because less than forty percent of the membership returned the referendum ballot.

PEF is the second-largest, state-employee union representing 54,000 professional, scientific and technical employees throughout New York.

-30-