BUFFALO, N.Y. — The final countdown begins Thursday, as Buffalo teachers are faced once again with deciding their union’s fate for the first time in 42 years.
In the general election two weeks ago, none of the presidential candidates hit the 50% threshold, setting up Buffalo Culinary’s Rich Nigro and Riverside’s Marc Bruno for round two.
It also comes after longtime union president Phil Rumore resigned and pulled his name out of the race last month following 21 consecutive terms and the union finally reaching a contract agreement with the district.
The final two candidates are now pitching to voters new issues to focus on with the teachers’ biggest struggle for the past four years behind them.
“Some people might want a fresh start. Other people want to experience, and they have to decide what is going to get the job done,” Bruno said.
Bruno — who fell in the union’s most recent election to Rumore — says he’s continuing to focus his campaign efforts around his experience advocating for the union and proper working conditions.
“We've walked the walk and talked the talk,” Bruno said. “We've been there, we've been doing this, we've shown up at every single Board of Education meeting and at least tried to advocate for our colleagues in the Buffalo Teachers Federation.”
Nigro — on the other hand — says communication is the center of his campaign heading into the runoff, pitching the idea of a messaging app for all union members to create clearer communication and transparency.
“The importance of communicating both with membership and having them be able to communicate back with us is paramount,” he said.
Online voting will start Thursday and continue until June 5 with a new president announced on June 6.
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