Writers Guild of America West Announces Candidates for 2017 Officers and Board of Directors Election
LOS ANGELES – The Writers Guild of America West’s Nominating Committees have announced the initial list of candidates for the 2017 WGAW Officers and Board of Directors election.
The Officer candidates are as follows: President* – David A. Goodman; Vice President* – Marjorie David; Secretary-Treasurer – Aaron Mendelsohn (inc.), Carleton Eastlake.
*The second nominees designated by the committee for the offices of President and Vice President declined the nominations.
There are 13 candidates nominated to run for eight open seats on the WGAW’s Board of Directors as follows: Andrea Berloff (inc.), Francesca Butler, Nicole Yorkin, Angelina Burnett, Luvh Rakhe (inc.), John August, Adam Horowitz, Michele Mulroney, Spiro Skentzos, Meredith Stiehm (inc.), Zak Penn (inc.), Patti Carr, Ligiah Villalobos.
(*Editor’s Note: WGAW internal rules require candidates to be announced in an order determined by lot; [inc.] denotes an incumbent candidate.)
In addition to the candidates selected by the Guild’s Nominating Committees, eligible members may also be nominated by petition. Members seeking nomination for the office of President, Vice President, or Secretary-Treasurer must obtain 25 member signatures in support of their petitions. Members seeking nomination for the Board of Directors must obtain 15 member signatures in support of their petitions. The deadline for submitting signed petitions is Friday, July 21, 12:00 p.m. (PDT). Members may submit online nomination petitions by visiting the members-only section of the Guild’s website: www.wga.org.
The WGAW is set to host its annual “Candidates Night” forum – where Guild members may meet and pose questions to the candidates – on Thursday, August 31, at WGAW headquarters in L.A.
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 at 12:00 p.m. (PDT) on Monday, September 18. Members may vote online or by mail. In accordance with labor law, proxy voting is not permitted.
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.