DC 1707 Head Re-Elected, Criticizes Bloomberg Cuts

By MICHELLE FRIEDMAN

Raglan George was sworn in for a third consecutive term as District Council 1707 executive director May 6 after being re-elected without opposition.

The Chief-Leader/Eric Weiss 'AN UNCOMPLETED JOURNEY': District Council 1707 Executive Director Raglan George said he is beginning his third term 'determined to save the indispensable programs of those who are in need and the jobs of our hard-working members.'

The other incumbents who were unopposed included President Kim Medina, Treasurer Betty Powell and Secretary Jeanette Pringle. Jim Cullen, the New York field services director of DC 1707's international union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, presided over the ceremony.

'Anti-Worker City Policies'

About 50 members and the DC 1707 executive board were in attendance as Mr. George expressed gratitude and excitement about this new term, calling it "an uncompleted leadership journey." He then thanked members at the Council's Delegate Assembly meeting where he and the slate were re-elected, all without opposition.

Mr. George also utilized the gathering as a platform to discuss current issues concerning DC 1707. He denounced the Bloomberg administration for what he called "anti-worker and anti-working families policies" regarding public center-based day-care and the Meals-On-Wheels program. Both those programs face massive layoffs and possible closures if the Administration for Children's Services and the Department for the Aging proposals are enacted.

"I take my oath to serve my members with an untiring responsibility to continue the fight to save public center-based day-care and the Meals-On-Wheels program," Mr. George said. "Almost 6,000 professional and dedicated day-care workers and hundreds of Meals-On-Wheels workers are in the sights of the Bloomberg administration through ACS and DFTA engaging in anti-worker and anti-working family policies that will only harm children, the elderly and families." Mr. George said that it will take a strong coalition including parents, elected officials, clergy, unions, and senior citizen advocates to stop the Bloomberg administration from enacting "unproven programs that will eliminate day-care slots, day-care centers, crucial jobs from day-care workers and parents, personal visits to shut-ins and just basically create personal tragedies throughout the city."

"The officers of DC 1707 begin our new terms determined to save the indispensable programs of those who are in need and the jobs of our hardworking members," Mr. George said.