By Lee Soper

As a free-lance symphonic musician, I am in a unique position to form an opinion about the relative merits of David Lennon and Mary Landolfi. After all, both David and Mary were at one time or another in charge of the Concert Department at Local 802. In my opinion, there is only one possible choice for president of Local 802; that is Mary Landolfi.

When Mary was in charge of the department, I worked with her in my capacity as an orchestra committee member in three different orchestras. I found her to be an ideal union officer. She possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules and regulations governing unions and was a tenacious representative on the behalf of all musicians. Under Mary’s stewardship, the difficulties which committees had experienced getting our agreements reduced to writing were eliminated; I always felt that we had her complete attention, support and respect.

My experience with David was never as positive. I often found that details were lost, phone calls were not returned and the department reverted to the old ways of doing business. He relied on the committee to do all of the research and seldom offered suggestions or guidance. Instead of being a tough advocate for the musicians, he always looked for the easy way to get a settlement with managements. Of course, since his ascension to the role of president, I have become even more disillusioned; I am mystified that anyone can still seriously consider his candidacy now that his many financial inadequacies have come to light. The integrity of our union has been seriously jeopardized by his administration.

In conclusion, I can only say that I believe there is no comparison between Mary Landolfi and David Lennon. Mary is by far the superior alternative, by virtue of her experience, dedication and veracity. I would encourage everyone to vote for Mary Landolfi in the coming election.