NPMHU DELEGATES MAKE HISTORY DURING FIRST-EVER ON-LINE NOMINATIONS MEETING
HOGROGIAN AND HORA RE-ELECTED BY ACCLAMATION
VPS HARRIS, WILKIN, AND SAPP ALSO RE-ELECTED
MAIL BALLOT ELECTIONS SET FOR 2 REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS IN FALL
On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, the Delegates elected by the NPMHU membership to attend the 2020 National Convention (now scheduled for March 2021 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) made NPMHU history when they met virtually — through desktop and laptop computers, tablets, cell phones, and perhaps even land-line telephones — to nominate candidates for all seven National Officers open for election in 2020.
National President Paul V. Hogrogian and National Secretary-Treasurer Michael J. Hora were the only nominees for their respective National Offices, and therefore have been re-elected by acclamation for the next four-year
term, running from October 2020 to October 2024. Central Regional Vice President June Harris (Local 306), Northeastern Regional Vice President David Wilkin (Local 309), and Southern Regional Vice President Lawrence Sapp (Local 318) also were nominated without challenge, and also have been re-elected.
There were two nominees for Eastern Regional Vice President, incumbent Vice President John Gibson (Local 308) and Felandria Jackson (Local 305). There also were two nominees for Western Regional Vice President, incumbent Don Sneesby (Local 316) and Juan Torres (Local 303). These two mail ballot elections will be held in September and October of this year amongst the entire membership of these two Regions. The election process will be governed by the controlling constitutional provisions for mailballot elections of National Officers, and will be directed by the three members of the 2020 Elections Committee: Yvette Johnson (Chair) of Local 300; Ira Edelstein of Local 318; and Greg Newsome of Local 306.
The historic Nominations Meeting was attended by more than sixty percent of all elected Delegates from the Local Unions. After a brief welcome from President Hogrogian, Credentials Committee Chairman Pervous (Andy B.) Badilishamwalimu of Local 310 announced that a total of 341 Delegates have been certified by the Committee for attendance at the upcoming Convention, and that at least 217 were in attendance during the virtual Nominations Meeting today. From that point forward, the entire meeting was run by the Elections Committee, in the person of Chair Yvette Johnson.
Chair Johnson began by thanking the Delegates and the other members of her committee. She then read some of the rules that specifically governed the Nominations Meeting, all of which were previously circulated to the Delegates in a mailing in early July. Then Chair Johnson announced each National Office, and all Delegates were given an opportunity to nominate candidates. For each nomination, Sister Johnson asked, at least three times for each office, “are there any more nominations?” and only cut often nominations after all Delegates had an opportunity to speak. For each National Officer re elected by acclamation, the Delegates broke into sustained applause, sending their congratulations to all of the new officers, and looking forward to this fall’s elections to fill the remaining two officers.
