New Guild Prez says 'too much pessimism'

Report by Joe Strupp, Editor & Pubisher

NEW YORK Challenger Bernie Lunzer, whose election as Newspaper Guild president is expected to be certified on Thursday, said he wants to have the union "actively involved in the direction of the industry."

Lunzer, who made his first comments about the election to E&P, said he was "pleased with the numbers" that appear to give him a sizeable victory, adding "we think it gives us what we need to go ahead and do some of the things we promised in the campaign."

Lunzer's comments followed the release of ballot data on the Guild Web site that indicates Lunzer had at least 3,630 votes out of 6,367 cast, with incumbent Linda Foley taking 2,737. In accordance with Guild rules, the election is not final until it is certified on Thursday. But with a nearly 900-vote lead and only some 600 ballots outstanding, Lunzer's victory is all but assured. His running mates, secretary-treasurer nominee Carol Rothman and international chair candidate Connie Knox, are also expected to win.

"I based my campaign on the fact that we need to have a change in approach stylistically," Lunzer said. "We are confident there is a future here and that we can get guild members involved in that future." Lunzer added that "there is way too much pessimism in the industry. We still have various products, the brands, the things we stand for. We've got more readers than we’ve ever had before. It is not about increasing eyeballs, it is about increasing revenue."

Foley had no comment on the election.