SAG'S RACE FOR PRESIDENCY NO BLOCKBUSTER.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

It's been strangely quiet on the historically raucous campaign front for the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild.

With the Sept. 23 deadline for returned ballots less than two weeks away, the race between incumbent Melissa Gilbert, current Treasurer Kent McCord and commercial actor Gordon Drake has been lacking the fireworks that characterized past SAG races and referendums.

The main rivals for SAG's top elected job have been at odds over most major issues in the two years that they have served as national officers. McCord blames the current election's lack of public discourse on Gilbert declining his invitation to debate.

``I'm very disappointed that our membership will miss the opportunity to hear the national candidates participate in a debate about the important issues facing our union,'' McCord said. ``I believe the membership has the right to such a debate and it's a right that I would never wish to deny them.''

Gilbert and Drake have expressed concerned with the format and a host of other logistical issues of the planned debate that was being set up by McCord's campaign.

``There were too many unanswered questions,'' Drake said. ``It was disorganized to the worst degree.''

As a result, most of the campaigning is being done via e-mail and Web sites as SAG members whittle down their choices for president, secretary- treasurer and for dozens of board seats on both coasts.

After the narrow defeat of a proposed merger of SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists championed by Gilbert, some questioned whether she would run for a second term.

``It is a lot of work but I feel like this is not finished yet,'' Gilbert said. ``We've accomplished so much already. It would be really wimpy of me to turn tail and run now.''

The merger referendum failed to get the required 60 percent approval required, falling short with 57.7 percent of the vote. McCord was a driving force behind the defeat of the referendum as well as an earlier Gilbert-backed proposed franchise agreement between SAG and the Association of Talent Agents voted down by members in April 2002.

It was also McCord who, despite being one of the winners, successfully led an effort to have the results to the fall 2000 election of SAG's three national officers overturned due to errors made by the company hired to run the election. Gilbert beat Valerie Harper in the original election and in the repeat. McCord and Elliot Gould were also victorious both times.

Gilbert remains committed to a SAG-AFTRA merger of some kind. Other major issues looming include the negotiation of a new commercial actors contract.

The incumbent said she is unfazed by the degree of opposition she has faced during her term from McCord and others.

``I knew how much vitriol there was,'' she said. ``There are hot-headed people on both sides of every issue. We are able to complete an agenda, we get the business done. There's debate in the room but no personal attacks, no railroading.''

For his part, McCord said that running for SAG president is something he has been asked to do for 30 years. His union involvement has ranged from committee work to holding national office. The failed talent agency and merger issues have convinced him that the union is headed in the wrong direction.

``I see that the union has to be refocused back on what its mission is: We need to protect the wages and working conditions of actors,'' he said. ``I want to bring the focus back to what the union is there for and stop trying to create something that it is not.''

The lower-profile Drake acknowledges that while he faces an uphill battle against two established actors and union leaders, he hopes to make an impact as a candidate representing the average working actor.

``I want the middle-income actor to rise up and basically say, We're sick of the political infighting,'' Drake said. ``The No. 1 issue for the rank and file is pension and health. In the frenzy for the merger, a lot of that has been lost.''

Gilbert's running mate is James Cromwell, best known for his Oscar- nominated performance in ``Babe,'' while McCord is running with ``NYPD Blue'' regular Esai Morales.

Cromwell, Morales and third candidate Barbara Cheeseborough are running for the newly combined position of secretary-treasurer, which had previously been separate jobs.

There are several dozen candidates vying for 12 seats and 22 alternate positions in SAG's Hollywood Division. Eleven of the Hollywood seats are for three-year terms and one is for two years. Alternates serve for one year.

In the New York Division race, there are 17 candidates running for four seats and nine alternate slots. Eileen Henry and Erik-Anders Nilsson are running for president of the division.

A complete list of candidates can be found on the guild's official Web site: www.sag.org.

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) GILBERT

(2 -- color) MCCORD

(3) DRAKE