UFT Presidential Race Heats Up

In our continuing coverage of the UFT Presidential campaign, NYC Educator is pleased to keep you apprised of all the important candidates. In alphabetical order:

Emmie--Emmie's campaign is managed by MORE member Lauren Cohen. As you can see, she is already wearing a MORE button. Emmie presumes herself to be the nominee, and organized a play date, attended by most candidates, in which she proposed a unified slate. However, after extensive questioning, both Julio and Peppi left believing that Emmi would only participate in a slate in which she were the presidential candidate. Neither Julio nor Peppi, in the end, committed to endorsing Emmie. However, all parties deemed her the best dressed of all the candidates.

If elected, Emmie promises to end the scourge of water fountains that are too high for the vertically challenged to drink from, and promises to lobby for water bowls at regular intervals in school buildings.

Julio--Julio is an independent, and refuses to align himself with any one caucus at this time.  Julio attended the doggie play date organized by Emmie, but declined to endorse her, claiming her presentation was unpersuasive. While admiring her outfit, Julio felt it was inappropriate for campaign season. Julio prefers a more sporty and natural look, and feels wearing a heavy shirt will get in the way of his job performance. Julio says this is particularly true in the summer, when it's hot, and says it would be extremely "rough" to meet all the job requirements if he were dressed like Emmie.

Julio carries the much-coveted NYC Educator endorsement. Both Emmie and Peppi object to this, claiming the endorsement was issued before they were fully vetted. Peppi was particularly upset, accusing Julio of undue influence, and even residing at the blogger's home. Peppi characterized this as not only prejudicial, but also extremely "rough." While Emmie withheld comment on this accusation, Julio implied Peppi was getting personal and said there was no need for bringing the campaign into the gutter. Julio is the youngest of the candidates and suggests his youth will enable him to have the vision the union needs to move forward. Julio's ticket is filling out quickly, and he has endorsed Bernice and Penny Lane as secretary and treasurer.





Michael Mulgrew--Mulgrew is the incumbent UFT President, endorsed by both Unity and New Action. Mulgrew is the only one of the candidates who did not attend the play date, but in fairness, Emmie admits failing to notify him, having dispensed invites at the doggie park.

NYC Educator reached out to Mulgrew, but Mulgrew did not answer the email. Thus, Mulgrew's position on inter-species elections remains murky. Mulgrew is a member of the Unity Caucus, and it has characterized its opponents as "Chicken little." Both Emmie and Julio took offense at that characterization, insisting neither was chicken. They also felt this characterization was an attack on their diminutive stature, and Emmie cited the Mark Twain quote, "It's not the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the dog." Peppi refused to comment on Mulgrew, vowing not to make the campaign personal. Peppi pointed out the importance of always keeping an open mouth, and noted that Mulgrew was the only candidate, other than himself, to have one.

Peppi--Peppi is also running as an independent, but it's clear his campaign manager, Mike Schirtzer, is affiliated with MORE. Peppi insists he will not be influenced by his manager's affiliation, but we at NYC Educator question his independence.

Peppi attended the doggie play date but has not, to date, agreed to endorse Emmie. He says he is the best candidate for UFT President because not only does he keep his ears open, but he keeps his mouth open as well.

Peppi portrays himself as the social justice candidate. He believes, particularly given the way people vote for the likes of Scott Walker and Andrew Cuomo, that elections should be open to all species. He also believes that there should be a minimum canine age of 2 years, and therefore considers Julio to be unqualified for the position of UFT President. Julio characterized this accusation as excessively "rough."