SEIU Successful in Mental Health Board Appointments

April 1, 2009

Chuck Howley

Andy Johnson

On March 24, 2009, the Saginaw County Commissioners included in their meeting agenda a vote on three year appointments of several Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority Board seats that were to expire on April 1 of this year. Local 517M Region I leaders were successful in getting 2 SEIU members appointed, even thought the CEO of SCCMHA, Sandra Lindsay, and the Chair, Phil Grimaldi had campaigned to have their hand picked appointees selected. We truly have some allies and dear friends with the Saginaw County Commissioners.

Newly retired from SCCMHA and long time SEIU member Chuck Howley unseated Carol King, who served on the SCCMHA Board for six years and supported the CEO's push to contract out our day program services several years ago. Chuck served on our SEIU bargaining committee since 2000, and has always been an active SEIU leader.

Region I Board member and Saginaw City Worker's Chapter President, Anderson Johnson, successfully won the second board seat that was vacated by Bob Blaine. Mr. Blaine was a long time board member who was a great advocate for labor and stepped down from his SCCMHA board position two months ago to pursue a lobbying position in Lansing. The CEO and Chair for SCCMHA were lobbying hard for their candidate, Bruce Pietrick, a local defense attorney in Saginaw, however, they were unsuccessful with an 8-4 vote to turn that candidate down and another unanimous vote to appoint Andy.

Congratulations to Chuck Howley and Andy Johnson for their new appointments.