BTU President Accused Of Election Fraud; Ouster Demanded

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The Broward Teachers Union has confirmed that more than 2 dozen union members were involved in apparent campaign irregularities in the last presidential campaign, related to campaign contributions. 4 members of the union's Executive Board have pointed the finger of blame at BTU president Pat Santeramo, demanding he resign.

The board members released a letter Monday in which that demand was made, after claiming that Santeramo use union finds, to reimburse campaign contributions made in the election. The letter cites the results of a recent audit and accuses Santeramo of hiding the payments from the rest of the union with false and misleading reports.

"The Executive Board must get ahead of Pat's reprehensible actions before it's too late, while getting ahead of this situation so that we can tell our members that we took appropriate action on behalf of the BTU. Our members must have the confidence that as their elected Executive Board we will do what is best for the whole and not sacrifice the entire union for one person, " the letter said.

The union said contributions totaling just under $20 thousand were involved, No contributions were made to local races.
Santeramo has been president of the BTU for 10 years.