Kissinger elected Guild's 1st VP

Milwaukee Newspaper Guild members have selected Meg Kissinger as our local's second-in-command.

Kissinger, a Journal Sentinel metro reporter, was elected 1st vice president, in charge of contract enforcement. She fills a position that had been vacant since letters editor Sonya Jongsma Knauss left the paper to become editor and general manager of MilwaukeeMoms.com. Over the years, Kissinger has previously served as a board member, interim steward leader, committee chair and steward.

Guild members also chose metro reporter Erin Richards as secretary. She succeeds feature writer Jan Uebelherr, who was elected to the at-large Executive Board seat that Richards previously held.

Also joining the board as at-large members are business reporter Joel Dresang and editorial writer James Causey. Dresang is a former board member and former steward.

Members re-elected copy editor Greg Pearson, to his second full term as president; copy editor Karen Samelson, to her second full term as 2nd vice president, in charge of membership and mobilizing; metro reporter Amy Hetzner, to her fourth full term as treasurer; and metro reporters Mark Johnson and Tom Kertscher, to a fourth full term and a second term, respectively, as at-large board members.

In other action at our annual meeting earlier this week, members:

• Elected Pearson, Richards and Dresang as delegates to the international Guild's sector conference, with Samelson and Kertscher as alternates.
• Chose Pearson as delegate to the international convention of our parent union, the Communications Workers of America, with Richards, Dresang, Samelson and Kertscher as alternates.
• Approved a bylaws change to cut the local's board from 10 to eight members, by reducing the number of at-large seats from five to three, effective after this election.
• Enacted a second bylaws change to cut the number of steward leaders from four to "up to three," effective with the term starting in mid-October.
  
• Renewed the rebate provision that keeps our dues at 1% of pay.