By Mel Cowan

WGA West President John Wells

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) announced today that John Wells, Stark '82, has been elected president. Earning 52.8% of the vote, Wells ran against the Writers United slate, headed by presidential candidate Elias Davis.

"I'm remarkably humbled by the membership returning me to the Presidency of the Guild," said Wells, the multi-Emmy Award-winning executive producer of ER and The West Wing. "I look forward to working with the Board again and to working with David Young and his talented staff to meet the many challenges that lie ahead."

This will be Wells' second term as president. He previously served from 1999-2001.

"My congratulations to John Wells for his success in a hard-fought campaign," said Davis, Wells' opponent. "We writers can be somewhat argumentative and opinionated, as anyone who has ever sat around a writers' table knows. This campaign certainly highlighted some our differences. Now, it's time to pull together and work for the benefit of us all."

Additionally, David N. Weiss, M.F.A. '00, was elected secretary-treasurer. The Emmy-nominated screenwriter of Rugrats and Shrek 2 had previously served as vice president of the guild.

Correction: David N. Weiss' credits were previously misstated. We apologize for the error.