A Letter from Local President Paul Martino

Hello to My Brothers and Sisters,

I have always been inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. While we’re all moved by his “ask not” quote, I loved his announcement to the world, that “the torch has been passed to a new generation.” Paraphrasing the late Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, I’m “no Jack Kennedy!”

But I have been a broadcaster in this wonderful community for 32 years. And for half of that time, I’ve had the great privilege to serve you as president of our legacy AFTRA and now SAG-AFTRA local. But I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and it’s my sincerest belief that it’s time for a new generation to begin taking a leadership role in the local.

So, come June, I’ll be ending my last term as your president. It’s not an easy decision, because I’ve loved holding this position and trying to make a difference. But this is an ideal time to step down, because I still have a few more good years left in me, and it’s my hope that I can still contribute ideas to the local and help a new president learn the ropes.

The fact is, the best thing for our future is to get a new person in that role. Someone who’s well acquainted with the challenges of digital technology and social media. Someone who gets the rising generation of actors and broadcasters and understands the challenges they face. And someone who can devote the next 10 or 20 years to our local. I’m frankly excited about it.

As I look back at my tenure as president, I see how my career in broadcasting has helped me better lead our local. I am on television five days a week, and this has allowed me to have a higher profile in the community than your average resident. My job has also given me greater access to politicians and union leaders than most would have. These attributes have served our local well time and again and I think are crucial to the success of those that might follow me.

But this isn’t my decision alone. We are all going to have to pick someone who we want to represent us. Someone who we believe will make the best decisions, appointing members to key committee spots, communicating with national staff and being an overall watchdog for the local.  

I have been honored to serve, honored that you voted for me over the years, and humbled by the fact that no one even ran against me! While I’ll miss serving you, I still hope to serve in emeritus role, because I haven’t lost the passion to be union.

This item was originally featured in the November 2016 local newsletter.