SAG slates candidates

Guild OKs 104 board hopefuls

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON

The Screen Actors Guild has confirmed 104 candidates from its Hollywood and Gotham divisions who are running for 16 open seats on the guild's national board of directors.

SAG's Sept. 18 national board election comes as the guild is in the midst of a prolonged contract battle with the major studios. Industry observers don't expect any break in the more-than-monthlong stalemate between the majors and SAG until after the board election.

The fight for control of the Hollywood division seats on the 69-member board could be competitive this time around. An upstart coalition dubbed Unite for Strength has emerged in the past month to challenge the Membership First group that has dominated SAG's Hollywood leadership in recent years (Daily Variety, July 24).

As previously disclosed, Unite for Strength's 31 candidates include Adam Arkin, Amy Brenneman, Gabrielle Carteris, Dule Hill, John Carroll Lynch, Doug Savant, Ned Vaughn, Tom Verica, Marcia Wallace and Kate Walsh.

Membership First, led by SAG prexy Alan Rosenberg, is fielding 11 first-time candidates -- including Scott Bakula, Keith Carradine, Joely Fisher and Alan Ruck. It also has 22 incumbents up for reelection, including Joe Bologna, Lainie Kazan, Yale Summers, JoBeth Williams and Scott Wilson.

In all, 23, or about one-third, of the seats on SAG's national board are up for grabs in this election. The Hollywood branch will elect 11 national board members to three-year terms, as well as 22 alternates.

The New York branch will elect five board members and nine alternates. Candidates from the Gotham branch include Eric Bogosian, Ralph Byers, Rebecca Damon, Erik-Anders Nilsson and Sam Robards. Seven other board members will be elected from SAG branches outside of L.A. and Gotham.

Ballots with short statements from each candidate will be mailed to SAG's 122,000 members on Aug. 19. Votes will be tabulated on Sept. 18.