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Ellen Bernstein will remain at the helm of the teachers union for New Mexico’s largest school district for the next two years.
Bernstein, who was first elected president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation in 1999, scored a landslide victory against social studies teacher Adrian Nogales. Votes were counted Wednesday.
“Thank you to each ATF member who participated in this election, and I am honored to be reelected as President of our union,” Bernstein said in a statement. “We have so much work ahead of us, and I am energized and ready to continue to fight alongside each one of you on behalf of our schools and communities across Albuquerque.”
Election staff said she won 78% of the vote, garnering 1,216 of 1,563 votes cast. Voter turnout was nearly twice what was seen in 2016 – the most recent time Bernstein was opposed in a union presidential election, they added in a news release.
Bernstein said this was the third time she has faced a challenger since she was first elected.
“I’m in very good spirits, considering she hasn’t had many elections,” Nogales said, referencing the number of times she has run contested. He added that each of the 1,563 votes cast in the election was a victory for him and everyone in the union.
Four other union officers, all of whom ran unopposed, were elected to a two-year term. They were Executive Vice President Sean Thomas, Vice President of Membership and Involvement Dwayne Norris, Secretary Megan Sisty and Treasurer Celeste Hernandez.
