Incumbent Marilyn Stewart will face Karen Lewis in a June 11 run-off election. Both candidates
failed to garner a majority of votes in the May 21, 2010 teacher’s union election.
Incumbent Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart will have to wait until next month to find out if she will retain her job after failing to win a 50 percent majority of votes at Friday’s election. Stewart, a 30-year career educator, will now face off with challenger Karen Lewis in a June 11 run-off election. Stewart, who represents the United Progressive Caucus while Lewis represents the Caucus of Rank and File Educators, said she is confident she will prevail in next month’s run-off because members want an experienced leader negotiating their contract with the Chicago Public Schools and not someone full of promises. “Our caucus went from school to school and took time to put forth a realistic view of the situation.á Many of my opponents chose to give pie-in-the-sky promises in order to get a vote,” Stewart said at a Saturday press conference she called regarding the election. “Our team understood the importance of what is at stake with respect to the current situation.á I believe the members saw through the empty rhetoric and false promises.” However, Lewis said teachers are tired of the lack of leadership within the union, which represents teachers in the third largest school district in the nation. “What this election shows us is that teachers are fed up,” Lewis said, in a statement. CORE is a reform caucus of the Chicago Teachers Union that represents teachers and educational paraprofessionals, and the students and families they serve. According to the American Arbitration Association, which counted the votes, 20,000 members cast their ballots and Stewart received 6,280 or (32.3 percent) while Lewis received 5,970 or (30.7 percent) at Defender press time. Defeated were CTU Field Representative Theodore Hajiharis and CTU Treasurer Linda Porter. Debbie Lynch, a former CTU president who ran for that spot again in this election, was also unsuccessful. There are 30,000 members that make up the CTU, according to Rosemarie Genova, a spokeswoman for the CTU. Stewart has been president since 2004. Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender
About Post Author
