"I've done a lot of service for the Writers Guild in the past, much of it alongside Charles Holland and many of the members of the current Board," said Daniel Petrie Jr., Vice President. "I have the greatest respect for the countless hours of unpaid and sometimes thankless service Charles has given to our guild over the past six years, a service that is characterized, in my view, by his dedication, thoughtfulness, experience and integrity. I always consider it an honor to be able to serve the guild and to work with the dedicated and committed members of the Board on behalf of writers."

The position was vacated on January 6, 2004 when then Vice President Charles Holland succeeded to the position of president following Victoria Riskin's resignation. Petrie previously served the guild as its President (1997-99) and Vice President (1995-97), (1999-01) and as a member of the Board (1994-95).

In response to member concerns about recent articles that challenged the background of guild President Charles Holland, the Board of Directors had a question-and-answer session with Mr. Holland followed by a lengthy and full debate resulting in a 10-6 majority vote of confidence for Charles Holland (with one abstention).

The Board was divided among members who accepted Mr. Holland's explanation, those who did not, and those who felt that regardless of the accusations raised it was in the best interest of the guild and the upcoming negotiations for Mr. Holland to continue as president.

The Board took the accusations seriously. A majority felt they should be weighed against Mr. Holland's long and unbroken record of ethical and respected professional behavior.

Ultimately, it was the prevailing view of the Board that given Mr. Holland's unique set of skills as an attorney and business affairs executive in combination with his writing background and years of service to the guild that he should remain as president.

The Board formally accepted the recommendations of Professor William B. Gould's election review relating to the conduct of the 2003 election and appointed a Governance Committee to be chaired by Board member J.F. Lawton. The committee's charge will be to review election procedures and make recommendations to the Board. Recommendations that require a change in the guild's constitution would require a vote of the membership.

The Board also appointed Daniel Petrie Jr., Board member Irma Kalish and Gary Ross to the Negotiating Committee.