Susan Taylor based her campaign for president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers on making the union more democratic.

        That platform resounded loudly with teachers, who overwhelmingly elected Ms. Taylor and her slate of officers.

Taylor

        Ms. Taylor, a 22-year teaching veteran, beat incumbent Rick Beck by 916 votes, 1280 to 364.

        At a Wednesday night press conference, Ms. Taylor thanked her supporters and declared a new era for the 3,100-member union.

        “We ran a campaign based on being a more democratic union and decisions will not be made unilaterally,” Ms. Taylor said. “We don't have a strategy yet. We have no action plan in place. I will need time to meet with officers and come up with a plan.”

        Ms. Taylor and her executive council will be sworn in May 9.

        The change in leadership heralds a major change for the union, which last May ended 21 years under President Tom Mooney. Mr. Mooney left his post after being elected Ohio Federation of Teachers president. Mr. Beck was elected to replace Mr. Mooney.

        Now Ms. Taylor, a social studies teacher who runs a teacher-intern program at Hughes Center, leads a union known nationally for working with the administration and Board of Education to start the country's only pay-for-performance plan for teachers, and other reforms.

        During her campaign, Ms. Taylor said she wanted to halt the full-fledged start of the new evaluation plan and work on it piece by piece. Such a change would require approval from the school administration.

        “In light of the recent crisis in the city of Cincinnati it is clear that creative thought and new ways of doing business must occur to relieve strife,” Ms. Taylor said Wednesday. “As educators, we must be willing to assume new leadership roles. CFT is also a labor union and we must find ways to balance the clear responsibility of improving the educational achievement of Cincinnati's students with respecting the rights and improving the working conditions of teachers.”

        In 1999, Ms. Taylor was named CFT Member of the Year. She helped pilot several reforms, including peer evaluation. And she served on the bargaining team that negotiated the pay-for-performance system.

        She pledged to work with district administration toward a partnership.

After the riots in Cincinnati: Continuing coverage
Three dead in Queensgate wreck
Taft fights additional budget cuts
Auditor out of ballpark plan
Death case enters new territory
Arrests point to Oxy problem
City in turmoil
Sycamore, UC to be partners
To disabled, one friend makes all the difference
Fire, EMS levy renewal before voters
Much new at Fort Ancient
Township limits billboard ads
Boone Co. eager for jail, justice building
Boone looks forward to new jail, justice center
Campaign group sues over chamber's anti-Resnick ads
Coin designers in flap with Mint
Deters runs hard for GOP nod
Interest groups spend big on lobbying
Labor secretary relents, will run benefit program
Luken gets OK to buy West End townhouse
N. Ky. agency helps poor buy homes
New leader voted by teachers
OxyContin abuse task force meets
Police increase security for Derby festival
Report: Better teachers equal better students
Township asks levy renewal
Two bank holdups may be linked
White cop who shot black driver cleared
2-year-old boy's death called suspicious
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report