Peter Ward and Hotel Trades Council Administration Re-Elected by Acclamation

April 28, 2014 10:23 AM

Peter Ward and the Hotel Trades Council’s administration were re-elected by acclamation this week at a general membership meeting held on April 23. The HTC administration will serve a three-year term in office.

Re-elected along with Ward were HTC Secretary-Treasurer Michael Goodwin, Executive Vice President Chris Cusack, Recording Secretary Kuba Brown and General Organizer Jim Donovan. Vice Presidents Vanessa Meade, Richard Maroko, Lance Van Arsdale and George Padilla were also re-elected. In addition, Declan Tracey, President of Local 1422, was elected as a Vice President, and 27 Enlarged Council delegates were elected.

Ward opened the meeting by introducing the chairman of the Hotel Trades Council’s Election Committee, Dorian Ross, an employee of the Conrad Hilton Hotel and a member of the Union for 28 years.

Ross chaired the meeting and began by introducing the other members of the Hotel Trades Council Election Committee: Julio Rivera, of the Palace Hotel, Mike Mendez of the Hilton New York, Tolbert Lapomarel, Hilton Garden Times Square, Carmen Rivera, of the Michelangelo Hotel, Dimitrios Theofanis, of the New York Palace, and Donna Molinari, an employee of Resorts World. All seven members of the Election Committee are Hotel Trades Council members.

Ross reviewed the rules of nominations and election, which had been posted in the shops and published in Hotel Voice. He explained that the nominations and election process was being observed by Maralin Falik and Election Services Solutions, an independent organization that ensures fairness in voting.

Ross then opened up the floor for nominations. The administration’s slate was nominated by HTC General Organizer Jim Donovan.

Donovan noted some of the difficult issues unions are facing, including the HTC, and praised Ward for his outstanding leadership. He listed some of the many accomplishments of Ward and his team, adding that one of the reasons for the Union’s success was Ward’s belief in the membership itself.

Donovan’s nomination of Ward was robustly cheered by the members who were present for the meeting at the Union hall, and he then nominated the rest of the HTC administration slate, which included four other Executive Officers, five Vice Presidents and 27 members of the Union’s Enlarged Council.

Following Donovan’s nomination of the administration’s slate of candidates, Ross asked if there were any other nominations. There were no other slate nominations and there were no individual nominations. Ross then explained that the rules called for automatic election for any nominated candidates who were eligible for office and who did not have opposition. Thus, Ward and his slate were elected to lead the Hotel Trades Council for the next three years.

Kelly asked Maralin Falik of Election Services Solutions to cast a symbolic white ballot showing that the administration had been reelected. It should be noted that the eligibility of all candidates on the administration’s team was to be verified the next day, April 24, at a meeting of the Election Committee and Ms. Falik.

Following the casting of the symbolic white ballot, Ross asked Ward if he would like to say a few words.

Ward thanked the members present at the meeting for their vote of confidence and thanked the members of the Union’s administration for their hard work. He talked about the steady decline of the American middle class, a topic that was on the front page of the New York Times that same day, and he also talked about some of the threats that are immediately facing the Union, including a renewed surge in the conversion of hotels to condominiums and competition from online companies. These are some of the important topics that are being discussed at ongoing shop committee meetings and will be detailed further in upcoming issues of Hotel Voice.

The outcome of the nominations and election meeting provided strong evidence that the Union’s membership has firm confidence in Peter Ward and the Hotel Trades Council’s administration, the team that will lead them for the next three years.

There is a full listing below of all those who were elected to office on April 23.

Dorian Ross, an employee of the Conrad Hilton Hotel, chairing the meeting.

HTC General Organizer Jim Donovan nominating the HTC administration slate.

Peter Ward speaking, following the re-election of the HTC’s administration.

Maralin Falik of Election Services Solution casting the symbolic white ballot.

Members cheering the re-election of Peter Ward and the Hotel Trades Council’s administration.

Here are the members of the Hotel Trades Council Election Committee. From left to right are: Tolbert Lapomarel, Hilton Garden Times Square, Mike Mendez of the Hilton New York, Carmen Rivera, who works at the Michelangelo Hotel, Dorian Ross, the chairman of the committee and an employee of the Conrad Hilton Hotel, Donna Molinari, an employee of Resorts World, and Dimitrios Theofanis and Julio Rivera of the New York Palace Hotel.

Members congratulating Peter Ward, Steve Miller, Vanessa Meade and other members of the Hotel Trades Council’s administration following their re-election.