Dear Members,
This email marks my final Prelude, since I will complete my term as President at the end of this month. Please forgive me if I stray from the usual 3 bullet point format!
It has been an honour to hold this position, and I am so grateful to the many members who reached out to me during my term, particularly those who let me know what the regular COVID update emails meant to them. Further, knowing the quality of the two candidates running for the position, I am confident that the president you vote in on Saturday, December 11/21 will do a wonderful job.
Over my term, I have been awestruck by the high quality of people within the AFM who have taken on leadership roles, and/or been hired to carry out the important jobs within our union. From our Local’s extraordinary Executive Board members and esteemed Secretary-Treasurer Komadowski all the way up to AFM President Ray Hair, without exception they are highly intelligent, generous with their knowledge and willingness to help, humble and hardworking, and absolutely dedicated to protecting and furthering the collective interests of all of us who comprise our union.
That said, our union is not intended to function as a “top down organization” and the importance, value and well-being of our members is at all times the driving motivator behind everything we do. On that front, I want to acknowledge our members who have generously volunteered, attended general meetings, participated in various undertakings and sent encouraging and appreciative emails to the office on a regular basis. I especially wish to thank all of you who have remained Local 190 members throughout this incredibly difficult time for our profession.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and best wishes for many joyful opportunities for you to share your musical gifts with others now and in the future.
In solidarity,
Janice Finlay, President