Victor Saunders, Rochester's advisor for violence prevention, passes away
Mayor Evans announced his passing on Friday morning, saying he was there to spend Saunders' final moments with him and his family.
Saunders was known to Rochester for helping to launch the Office of Violence Prevention, the Rochester Peace Collective, and for helping expand Pathways to Peace. A few years ago, Saunders led a coalition of anti-violence programs.
In part, the mayor said in his statement that Saunders was one of his closest advisors and a friend to the city:
'Our community has lost a committed public servant who dedicated his life to the cause of peace and community uplift. He lived his life modeling the words of the great hymn, 'May the Works I've Done Speak for Me.' Victor has done great works, and my thoughts and prayers are with his wonderful family, friends and colleagues who loved him so.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The Hill
17-06-2025
- The Hill
Democratic drama: Union leader exits underscore DNC divisions
The departure of two major union presidents from their posts at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is raising questions about lingering internal divisions as the party seeks to regroup. On Sunday, news surfaced that American Federation of Teachers union President Randi Weingarten and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees President Lee Saunders would decline to be reappointed as at-large members of the committee. Both endorsed DNC Chair Ken Martin's former opponent Ben Wikler in the party chair's race earlier this year, and both were later removed by Martin from the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee. The two cited internal disagreements in their decisions to leave the DNC; their exits are the latest examples of internal disagreements within the party spilling out into the open. 'It shows that we're not united,' said Douglas Wilson, a North Carolina-based Democratic strategist. 'Everytime we have a situation where prominent people are exiting their posts, not the party but their posts at the DNC, that becomes the narrative as opposed to what the Trump administration is doing.' Other Democrats have brushed off the departures as not completely out of the ordinary. 'There is zero daylight between Chairman Martin and the vast, vast majority of DNC members,' said New York state Sen. James Skoufis (D), who ran for DNC chair earlier this year and backed Martin after dropping out. 'There are always going to be a couple of members, a few members who from administration to administration are not going to be completely aligned and are not going to want to continue as members. And so that always happens,' he said. Weingarten and Saunders informed Martin in separate letters that they were declining to be nominated as at-large members of the DNC. 'While I am a proud Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our community,' Weingarten wrote to Martin in a letter dated June 5. In his letter dated May 27, Saunders wrote to Martin that 'this moment demands unwavering focus, discipline, and clarity.' 'It demands that we devote every ounce of our energy to defending our members, protecting our collective bargaining rights and making sure that all workers know we are in their corner and we are fighting,' Saunders wrote. A source close to the DNC told The Hill that Weingarten's exit did not come as a surprise. 'Ever since the horse she bet on in the chair's race lost, she has always been on the other side of the fence as Ken — this is no surprise,' the source said. And in a statement following news Saunders was leaving the committee, DNC Labor Council Chair Stuart Appelbaum praised Martin as a leader who understands 'workers are the backbone of the Democratic Party.' A separate Democratic source described Weingarten's and Saunders's support of Wikler during the race as 'hyperintense,' noting they were 'bitter' with the outcome of the race. 'It was very clear to me that they were looking to blow up the DNC,' the source said. '[Martin] is not looking to blow the place up.' The two unions represent significant Democratic constituencies. The American Federation of Teachers boasts more than 1.8 million members while American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has more than 1.3 million members. The groups and their leaders are also expected to continue to play major roles in the Democratic ecosystem. Some Democrats note that Weingarten's and Saunders's departures come after Republicans made inroads with some union constituencies in 2024. 'Although Republicans are not sweeping unions, Republicans are starting to be viewed by union members as the party of the people who have to take a shower after work or in this case the people who have to take an Excedrin after work,' Wilson said. Critics of the departures have been quick to label the moves as 'a distraction,' noting how the two letters surfaced Sunday evening. 'We don't have to have all of these disputes and conversations in the public sphere because it does not help the overall cause and the overall good,' said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. 'No matter what the disagreement may be, it does not compare to the disagreements that we have with the other side,' he continued. John Verdejo, a DNC member from North Carolina, said he sees the situation as coming down to 'bruised egos.' 'The fact they decided to go public with this, on a matter that is internal, on top of all that is going on, speaks volumes and more about them,' Verdejo said. Last week, the DNC was moving forward after David Hogg announced he would not be vying for his spot as vice chair in the DNC after an overwhelming majority of committee members voted to redo the vice chair elections of Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who was elected again to the post on Saturday. Hogg has faced backlash from Democrats for launching his organization, Leaders We Deserve, that would primary incumbent House Democrats in an effort to bring about generational change within the party, all while he was serving as a vice chair. Weingarten expressed support in April for Hogg's efforts to get involved in Democratic primaries, but her exit letter was written prior to Hogg's decision to not run for vice chair again. 'It's very obvious to most that Randi was channeling that disappointment with the [chair] race through David Hogg because David Hogg obviously was a very significant disrupter,' the second Democratic source said. Seawright argued that the departures present Martin with the opportunity to bring new members into the vacated spots. 'Randi has been around the DNC for a very long time so maybe her resignation is another opportunity for another generation of leadership who wants to do the work ahead that's going to be required of us as Democrats,' he said.
Hamilton Spectator
16-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Saskatchewan premier pitches ‘port-to-port corridor' for energy and other exports
CALGARY - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is pitching the idea of a 'port-to-port corridor' that would connect energy and other goods to Canada's northern Pacific and Arctic coasts. Moe made his remarks Monday alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at an event focused on both provinces' ambitions to double oil and gas production. 'I know we are not going to be entirely reliant on the U.S for that marketplace,' Moe said. 'We are going to have access to the world.' Moe, who leads the right-of-centre Saskatchewan Party government, said he likes what he's been hearing out of the Liberal federal government about making Canada an 'energy superpower' and the strongest economy in the G7. He admits that means going against his political stripe to some degree. 'Far be it for me to be accused of being chair of the Liberal booster club the last decade or so, but there are some comments from this Prime Minister that I think we can truly get behind,' Moe told the event hosted by energy services industry advocacy group Enserva. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has introduced legislation that would fast track certain infrastructure projects deemed in the 'national interest' as U.S. President Donald Trump upends what until recently has been a reliable cross-border trading relationship. Carney has heard pitches from the premiers about what projects they think should be chosen, but has not said which have made the cut. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants a bitumen pipeline to be the 'anchor tenant' of a corridor to the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., enabling exports to Asia above and beyond what the operating Trans Mountain pipeline can ship from the Vancouver area. She has said that project should be built in tandem with another one she'd like to see considered in the national interest: the Pathways proposal to capture and sequester carbon emissions from Alberta's biggest oilsands producers. Smith and Moe also voiced support for a pipeline to the Port of Churchill, Man., which would enable exports to Europe via Hudson Bay. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has been keen on the idea, too. 'One thing the prime minister seems to want is a project and a proponent,' Smith said. 'So we are working to get a proponent or a consortium to put a project on the table, and then we're going to test out this two year timeline that he has.' Smith said Carney has asked conservative premiers to reach out to people they know in the federal Conservatives to help the Liberals' project approval bill pass in the minority Parliament. Despite being encouraged by the new tone in Ottawa, Smith and Moe said they both want the repeal of numerous federal environmental policies that they say have stymied resource investment. 'Policies do matter and we need a significant policy shift and we need it very quickly,' Moe said. The event coincided with the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., where leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union, are meeting. The confab of world leaders puts Alberta on the map at a time when the approach to energy security is being 'recalibrated,' Smith said. 'I know that, especially with the world turmoil, the energy security needs of our international partners has never been more important. And I think this really does drive a focus about how Alberta can be the solution.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
The Hill
16-06-2025
- The Hill
Public sector union head steps down from DNC
Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, stepped down from his post at the Democratic National Committee on Sunday, becoming the second union leader to resign from the committee. In a letter obtained by The Hill, Saunders informed DNC Chair Ken Martin that he would decline his reappointment as an at-large member of the committee. 'This moment demands unwavering focus, discipline, and clarity,' Saunders wrote. 'It demands that we devote every ounce of our energy to defending our members, protecting our collective bargaining rights and making sure that all workers know we are in their corner and we are fighting.' The union led by Saunders represents over 1.3 million public sector employees and retirees. Saunders' letter comes after the American Federation of Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten informed DNC Chair Ken Martin of her decision to step down from her post in a letter dated June 5. Saunders and Weingarten both endorsed former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler in his race against Martin for DNC Chair. The exits come as Martin has had to grapple with internal divisions at the DNC being laid bare in recent weeks. Former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg has been vocally critical of the party's leadership, writing in a post on X last week that the party's leaders have been 'asleep at the wheel.' Hogg faced backlash from many Democrats including within the DNC for launching an organization that would primary incumbent House Democrats in an effort to bring about generational change within the party. Hogg said he would not be vying for his spot as vice chair in the DNC after an overwhelming majority of DNC committee members voted to redo the vice chair elections of Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who was elected again to the post on Saturday.
