MNEA President Election, April 2013

Before hitting the campaign trail for SALT meetings in KC and St. Louis tomorrow, I have a couple of observations about the campaign and the election process in general.

Elections - Sign of Good Health

First, I would like to remind Missouri NEA members that the election for MNEA President at the Spring RA in 2013 will be to fill a vacant position. There is no incumbent running for MNEA President. Term limits prohibit our current president, Chris Guinther, from seeking a third term, and there is nothing in the by-laws that provides a line of succession to the office of president. Elections like this should be seen as a sign of good health, rather than some kind of affront to the institutional status quo.

Who Are We and What Do We Stand For?

Second, as one of our favorite school board members pointed out during the debate over teacher representation in Springfield, elections are about finding out what people want. It's as simple as that. And with each election in an organization like MNEA, we discuss our collective mission and vision as we move forward. Elections help define who we are and what we stand for, which is a good thing.

The Real Work Begins After the Campaign

I'm excited about running for the position of MNEA President. In Springfield, our local team battled against long odds for representation - in a very conservative region, during a terrible recession - and we won representation rights for teachers, school nurses and clerical staff. But those wins would be truly meaningful only if the bargaining process were proven to be effective. So, it could be said that the real work began the moment the election campaign was settled, and that is also the case with this election. The challenges and work ahead are significant. We cannot afford to become too distracted by the bells and whistles that come with campaigns like this. The new president will face a load of hard work even before officially taking office on August 1, 2013.

I'd like to thank all who have expressed their support for my candidacy from all areas of the state. Please pass this blog along to any MNEA members who are interested in the upcoming election. We'll all continue to move forward and have good conversations about what our association stands for and the work ahead. Together, we will make it work.