CLEVELAND, March 13 — Daniel J. Lauzon was reelected by acclamation to his first full term as Chairman of the BLET Massachusetts State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting in Boston on February 23.
Brother Lauzon, a member of BLET Division 57 (Boston, Mass.), joined the Brotherhood on January 1, 1978. He was elected to serve as 1st Vice Chairman at the quadrennial meeting in 2008, and began serving as Chairman following the retirement of George Newman in early 2011.
The following officers were also elected by acclamation: 1st Vice Chairman P.C. Chaput (Division 57, Boston); 2nd Vice Chairman Tom F. Hebert Jr. (Division 312, Boston); Secretary-Treasurer Joseph R. DeBartolomao (Division 112, Greenfield, Mass.); and Alternate Secretary-Treasurer Michael A. Musshorn (Division 439, Allston, Mass.).
Kevin J. Moore, BLET Division 191 (Lunenburg, Mass.), was elected to serve on the Auditing Committee, along with Brothers Hebert and Musshorn.
Representing the BLET National Division at the quadrennial meeting were: National President Dennis R. Pierce; National Secretary-Treasurer William C. Walpert; Vice President & National Legislative Representative John P. Tolman; Vice President Cole W. Davis; Vice President Stephen J. Bruno; Assistant to the National President Tom Pontolillo; Special Representative & Coordinator of Education & Training Department Ken Kroeger; and Director of Regulatory Affairs Vince Verna.
“I offer my sincere congratulations to Brother Lauzon and all members of the Massachusetts State Legislative Board,” President Pierce said. “I thank them for their commitment to the Brotherhood and I have every confidence they will do an excellent job of protecting the interests of their members at the State Capitol.”
Other BLET State Legislative Board Chairmen in attendance were: Terry Briggs (Texas); Tim Hanely (Ohio); Dave Kearsing (New York); and Ken Kertesz (Pennsylvania).
Other dignitaries and guest speakers who attended the meeting included: Harry Hoglander of the National Mediation Board; Steve Tolman, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO; Congressman Bill Keating; and Congressman Mike Capuano; and Mark Robb of the North American Railway Foundation (NARF). AFL-CIO President Tolman is the brother of BLET Vice President & National Legislative Representative John Tolman.
The body also enjoyed a visit with U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren. The BLET’s Massachusetts State Legislative Board also invited several guests to its meet-and-greet with Warren, including: FRA Region 1 Administrator Les Fiorenzo; Congressman John Tierney; UTU National Legislative Director James Stem; and UTU Massachusetts State Legislative Director George Casey.
While delegates conducted business during the morning of February 23, a delegation of BLET members and officers, led by National President Pierce, visited the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Mass. There, the BLET delegation received learned about the Volpe Center’s Sustained Attention Training program. Retired BLET Division 57 members George Newman and Richard (Pie) Duggan are deeply involved in the study, which uses a state of the art locomotive simulator to study locomotive engineer distraction.
Later that evening, members of the Massachusetts State Legislative Board presented Brother Newman with a commemorative drawing in thanks of his many years of service to the Brotherhood.