As SAG-AFTRA‘s race for national president continues and the guild seeks to elect Fran Drescher‘s successor, the results of the New England local election and others are providing some notable insights into how the 160,000-strong national union is likely to vote come September 12.
Incumbent National Board Member Bill Mootos has once again been reelected in New England by a very wide margin with 495 votes to challenger Chuck Slavin‘s 203. These results are almost identical to those of the 2021 New England election, as were the results of the race for New England local president, where Slavin once again lost his bid to unseat Andrea Lyman. This year, Lyman received 489 votes to Slavin’s 209.
What’s notable in the New England election results is that Slavin was also unseated from the local board and convention delegation for the first time in more than a decade. In both races, he missed the mark by about 20 votes or less. Of the local’s 2,857 members, SAG-AFTRA says 713 returned their ballots.
There are 39 national board seats up for election this year, along with all local officer, local board, and convention delegate positions.
Of the 11 locals that have appointed a national board member so far this election cycle, only six have required a balloted election. The other five were unopposed races. In addition to New England, the balloted races have thus far taken place within the Colorado, Hawaii, Missouri Valley, San Francisco-Northern California, and Arizona-Utah elections.
In many of these cases, the incumbents or current leadership were elected to yet another term, signaling that, for the most part, SAG-AFTRA members are fairly satisfied with the current status quo. In Colorado, Nancy Flanagan held onto her national board seat by a large margin, commanding nearly 70% of the vote after narrowly defeating prior incumbent Sheila Ivy Traister by a single vote.
Hawaii elected Scott Schwartz to serve as both national board member and vice president after four years as the local’s secretary. Missouri Valley was a shakeup, with Rodger Brand defeating incumbent Shelley Waggener with 84 votes to Waggener’s 52. Waggener also lost her bid for re-election in the local presidential race with Shannon Laine emerging as the winner by a much slimmer margin (69 votes to 65).
Mike Pechner, the current vice president of the San Francisco-Northern California local, narrowly won that national board seat against two challengers. He received 192 votes while Jeff Knox commanded 187 and Jessica Day had 129. Arizona-Utah local president Amanda Melby undoubtedly won her race, also against two challengers, with 120 votes (nearly 70% support).
So few contested or close races for national positions, especially in the first election cycle following a historically long strike in 2023, would seem to indicate that members are happy with the leadership they’ve got — indicating that Astin may have a leg up in the national race.
The Lord of the Rings star is running on The Coalition 2025 platform, which aligns in key ways with Drescher’s approach, while Slavin’s campaign calls for a changing of the guard.
Astin has also been a part of national leadership for many years. In 2023, he helped nail down the current contract as a member of his fifth separate negotiating committee. He is also currently a member of both the national and LA local boards as well as a national convention delegate.
With only a handful of the local elections yet to be decided, the will of the members is beginning to crystallize, though there is still more to unfold. Local elections in Los Angeles and New York, where 23 national board seats are still up for grabs, will ultimately determine the balance of power. Those elections, as well as the races for national president and secretary-treasurer, conclude on September 12.
Washington-Mid Atlantic and Philadelphia locals are also electing national board members this election cycle. Those races are ongoing as well.
