Writers Guild of America West Announces Final List of Candidates for 2014 Board of Directors Election

Contact: Gregg Mitchell (323) 782-4574
The Writers Guild of America West has announced its final list of candidates for the 2015 WGAW Officers and Board of Directors election.

LOS ANGELES – The Writers Guild of America West has announced its final list of candidates for the 2015 WGAW Officers and Board of Directors election.

The Officer candidates are as follows: President – Joan Meyerson, Howard A. Rodman; Vice President – David A. Goodman, Carl Gottlieb; Secretary-Treasurer – Aaron Mendelsohn. (*Previously announced Sec.-Treas. candidate Marjorie David withdrew her candidacy on July 8.)

There are 16 candidates nominated to run for eight open seats on the WGAW's Board of Directors as follows: Andrea Berloff, Cynthia Riddle, Meredith Stiehm, Mara Brock Akil, Carleton Eastlake (inc.), Patric M. Verrone (inc.), Cole Haddon, Zak Penn, Alfredo Barrios, Jr. (inc.), Karen Harris (inc.), Ari B. Rubin (inc.), Aaron Fullerton, Courtney Ellinger, Luvh Rakhe, Billy Ray (inc.), Dan Wilcox. (*Previously announced BOD candidate Jeff Westbrook withdrew his candidacy on July 13.) The election will also fill a ninth seat on the Board of Directors: the vacancy created by Aaron Mendelsohn’s unopposed election to the office of Secretary-Treasurer. The candidate receiving the ninth highest vote total will be elected to serve the remaining one year of Mr. Mendelsohn’s term as Board member.

Editors’ note: WGAW internal rules require candidates to be announced in an order determined by lot; (inc.) denotes an incumbent candidate.

The WGAW will host its annual "Candidates Night" town-hall forum, where Guild members may meet and pose questions to their Officer and BOD candidates, on Wednesday, September 2, at its L.A. headquarters.

Guild members will receive candidate, non-candidate, and rebuttal statements, if any, with their ballots prior to the election. Candidates may distribute additional campaign materials at their own expense.

The voting period concludes on Monday, September 21, at 12:00 p.m. (PT). Members may vote online, by mail or in person from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (PT) at the WGAW on Sept. 21. In accordance with labor law, proxy voting is not permitted in Guild elections of officer or Board members. Ballots will be counted on Monday, Sept. 21, and election results will be announced pending final tally.

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing writers of motion pictures, television, radio, and Internet programming, including news and documentaries. Founded in 1933, the Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members. It is involved in a wide range of programs that advance the interests of writers, and is active in public policy and legislative matters on the local, national, and international levels. For more information on the WGAW, please visit: www.wga.org.