By C1 Staff
NEW YORK – The New York State Correctional Officer and Police Benevolent Association has elected a new president.
Auburn Pub reports that Michael Powers, a veteran correctional officer and active member of the association, replaces Donn Rowe as head of the union.
Powers worked as a corrections officer for 23 years in various facilities throughout New York.
He was a leading voice in opposition to the closure of Ogdensburg Correctional Facility and was serving as city councilor at the time. He was successful in preventing the prison’s closure, but other facilities have since closed in the past four years.
Powers acknowledged that the state has fiscal challenges that need to be addressed, but also says that changes over the years have forced corrections officers into harm’s way. Overcrowding, reclassification of inmates, drugs and gangs all play a role in creating a more dangerous work environment for all correctional staff.
Powers says he looks forward to working with the board to “be diligent in educating the public on the important work that we do every day in our facilities.”