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Representative Assembly delegates will vote this year on one contested race for a seat on the NEA Board of Directors, as well as one uncontested NEA Director race and another uncontested race for an NEA Alternate Director seat.
The contested NEA Director race is between Mark Cebulski of Cedarburg and Eugene Dunk of Racine. Following are their candidacy statements:
I’m Mark Cebulski, and I’m running for Mary Bell’s vacated position as NEA Director.
My interests in NEA work have been steadily growing. In each of the last five years, I have proposed new business items or legislative amendments to the NEA Representative Assembly – the only Wisconsin delegate to have done so. Four were passed.
In the 1998 election, I was on the WEAC Milwaukee-Waukesha Steering Committee that helped return Russ Feingold to the U.S. Senate. Senator Feingold called for our help, and we delivered. Now we must follow up and advance our agenda.
When I belonged to WEAC’s Political Action Committee, I saw how vigilant our political involvement needs to be. In Washington, I began that vigilance when I lobbied legislators with the Congressional Contact Team in 1994. With your help, I will return and continue it.
As a six-year President of the Cedarburg Education Association, I know the demands of leadership. I’ve been on the WEAC Board long enough to understand that WEAC needs to embark on a long-range campaign of renewal and restoration. It will take more work than before, but let’s start moving. I’ll do my part as NEA Director, because we’re worth it.
It’s been an honor to serve you as the Alternate NEA Director. I stand ready to score a slam dunk with your trust and vote as director.
In three years on the WEAC Board I have never missed a meeting. As a member of the Program Committee we have been in the process of re-inventing meeting structures allowing for dynamic participation of new members and coordinated commitment from more veteran union warriors.
Brothers and sisters, ESP and teachers, educators all, united, our union involvement is critical. We are balancing traditional bread and butter and advocacy roles with professional issues such as licensure and training. Unions are struggling to flourish under a dark cloud cast by self-proclaimed education governors and legislators who would bleed public education for political gain.
We must fight the right or lose our rights to collective bargaining and quality public education. We must also continue our community coalition building to regain public support.
As an environmentalist, populist, and tightwad – there will be no more trees felled or junk mail delivered on behalf of my campaign.
Thank you for your consideration and hopefully your support. I can be reached at edunk@racineco.com.
Robert Fullmer is running unopposed for another open seat on the NEA Board of Directors. Following is his statement of candidacy:
I am a psychology teacher at Watertown High School where I have worked for the past 20 years. Married to my very special friend Peggy, I have been very active in union activities all of my education career. I currently serve as the Lakewood UniServ president; I chair the UniServ Presidents Council; I serve on the WEAC Legislative Committee; I have been a delegate to the WEAC and NEA RAs for many years; I serve on the local negotiations team and am one of the local grievance co-chairs. I am seeking the opportunity of representing Wisconsin on the NEA Board because of specific concerns about NEA services to members and a strong interest in the future of the NEA. I have always believed that we advance quality education for children by being strong advocates and quality professionals.
Sally Heideman, of Kenosha, is running unopposed for Alternate NEA Director. Following is her statement of candidacy:
Harmony ... Voices joined together by design. Our union must strike for harmony if we are to meet the current educational needs and counter the increasing attacks on our mission. It makes little difference if a member is an ESP or PhD, the newest member of a department or a veteran department chair, or in MTEA or the Stockbridge Education Association. Leadership must appreciate, value, and develop our unique harmony of viewpoints. We all belong to the same profession, and the goals must stay the same: 1) Quality public education, 2) Professionalism, 3) Protection of employee rights.
We must dissolve any discord and orchestrate solutions to the common problems challenging our goals – at the local, state, and national levels. Our mission is too important. Only through harmony can we reach the highest goals and provide the best public education possible for our children. As your Alternate to the NEA Board of Directors, I promise to represent all of our members and be sure the complexities of all our views are heard.
Posted April 6, 1999