Page 34 - September 2019 FOP Newsletter

64th National FOP Biennial Conference * Aug. 12-15, New Orleans
Board Up
er an intense election new National O eecutie boar reay to unite the orer an ht or members
■ BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
As he addressed members of the Chicago Lodge 7 delegation at this early Tuesday call, Pat Yoes paced back and forth as if to get in his morning cardio. He spoke even faster about his plans to lead the National FOP into a new era as its next president. The former national secretary and Louisiana State Lodge president had come to New Orleans to give the National FOP a needed jolt of his Loui- siana lightning.
A day later, Joe Gamaldi picked up the pace considerably during his presentation to the Illinois caucus as a candidate for National FOP vice president. During five minutes of remarks, the Houston Police Officers’ Union/Houston FOP Lodge 110 president didn’t seem to pause to breathe.
Apparently, this is the urgency currently needed for the National FOP. There is no time to waste in embarking on a new era of unity and presence, and Yoes, Gamaldi and other members of the newly elected executive board knew this.
“Clearly, we need to increase our voice,” Yoes announced to Lodge 7 members at one of the caucuses held each morning of the conference. Perhaps that is why his message was so urgent.
“The positive momentum of this election is just the beginning of building a united and more vibrant Fraternal Order of Police,”
Newly elected National FOP President Patrick Yoes addresses the confer- ence after being sworn in.
he continued. “We are dedicated to finding solutions to the real issues facing our professions and our members. Together, we will amplify the voice of law enforcement officers everywhere and chart a course of long-term prosperity for the organization.”
The 2019 elections for the next set of two-year terms took on an urgency the order had not seen in some time. Part of this was due to the prospect of a new president for the first time in 16 years, pitting Yoes in a runoff with National Vice President Jay McDonald of Ohio. Part of it was the result of the crossroads of members demanding a louder voice versus the need to foster relationships with local, state and federal legislators and the public.
As a result, candidates pumped up the volume on campaigning at the conference. Gamaldi, for example, distributed bobbleheads he had made to promote himself and Yoes. Keith Turney, the Illi- nois State Lodge second vice president who was re-elected as na- tional sergeant-at-arms, distributed servings of the famed Mullen’s Applesauce during one of his morning expeditions canvassing for votes. And he ran unopposed.
34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2019
The elections were so close that Yoes won over McDonald by a