CHICAGO (AP) -- National union officials have become embroiled in a disputed Chicago Teachers Union election that left two candidates both claiming to be union president in the nation's third-largest school district.þþMarilyn Stewart, whose 566-vote election victory was invalidated earlier this week, was turned away at CTU headquarters when she tried to take office Thursday.þþIncumbent Deborah Lynch, who had the office locks changed to keep ``unauthorized'' people out, said she would remain president until a new election could be held, likely this fall.þþStewart, accusing Lynch of abusing her power, formally asked the American Federation of Teachers to investigate and order her election victory over Lynch upheld.þþ``Our members have spoken. They have chosen someone else. And she needs to leave,'' Stewart said. ``There is absolutely no reason to hold another election.''þþThe AFT hoped to have a preliminary investigation completed as early as Friday with a recommendation from the union staff on whether its executive council should conduct a full investigation, AFT spokesman Alex Wohl said. If it does take up the case, the council's final decision will be binding, he said.þþ``We want to move this along as quickly as possible,'' Wohl said. He said the AFT had been asked to decide the validity of local elections before, but it wasn't common.þþþþ
Source: NY Times
