Kathie Bracy writes to Bill Leibensperger: Please don't patronize us

"When it dawned on us that neither organization was really representing us, there was no choice but to turn to our own resources and go after the wrongdoers at STRS ourselves."

11/11/05

Dear Mr. Leibensperger,

In reading your article "Advocating for You at STRS" in the current issue of Communiqué, I am particularly bothered by one of your comments:

"The stark contrast between these OEA members and too many of the usual participants in the public input portion of the [STRS Board] meeting (who have launched personal insults, unreasonable demands, and angry diatribes for the past couple of years) was a vivid one."

You give no indication of who the "participants" are (no doubt CORE members, most if not all of whom are members of OEA/OEA-R) nor do you list even ONE example of so-called "personal insults," "unreasonable demands" or "angry diatribes."

I have attended nearly every STRS Board meeting in the past year. While I have not made any speeches myself, I have heard many by people like myself, who have had legitimate concerns about management and spending practices that have occurred at STRS while the Board was dominated by OEA members who not only allowed these outrageous spending practices to occur, but boldly assisted in the actual spending of those millions of dollars of retiree funds.

I need to see your list of "unreasonable demands," as I have yet to hear any myself. All demands I have heard fall under the umbrella of ORC 3307.15, which mandates that the Board and other fiduciaries "discharge their duties solely in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries; for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits to the participants and defraying reasonable expenses of administering the system." Can you honestly say those five OEA members of the "old board" were doing this? Can you say that the OEA-dominated "old board" was not derelict in carrying out their duties?

As for the "angry diatribes," you did not mention what they were about or what may have precipitated them. How are readers supposed to know whether they were justified or not? You address your membership like sheep with your bold accusations, none of which you back up. We are not sheep, Mr. Leibensperger. We are OEA/OEA-R members, and have been most of our lives, and do not need to be patronized.

As you are well aware, many of us also belong to CORE, Concerned Ohio Retired Educators, a grass roots organization that evolved because a large segment of the STRS retiree population realized no leadership was being provided by OEA or ORTA after Dennis Leone investigated and exposed the numerous, outrageous practices that were going on at STRS, right under our noses. When OEA and ORTA failed to do the right thing by the retirees, admitting the wrongdoing and attacking it, they chose to overlook it entirely, in order to protect their own interests.

When it dawned on us that neither organization was really representing us, there was no choice but to turn to our own resources and go after the wrongdoers at STRS ourselves. Remember, we're talking about people (CORE members) who have been affiliated with OEA most of their lives, and ORTA in their retirement years; organizations we had placed our very TRUST in. CORE simply wanted to get the STRS mess cleaned up, then disband and go back to our other groups: OEA and ORTA. We would still like to see that happen, but unfortunately the chasm between us and both groups has widened so much in the intervening months/years since May, 2003, due to OEA and ORTA's persistent unwillingness to "come clean" that this is not going to be easy.

When people launch "angry diatribes," Mr. Leibensperger, there must be something behind it. You give no indication of such. If you ever taught in the classroom, you have experienced frustrated children who became angry children if nobody was listening to them and meeting their needs. Do you see a parallel here? CORE repeatedly took their concerns to the Board and were repeatedly blown off. CORE takes ONLY legitimate concerns to the Board; but with repeated rebuffs, how would you expect them to act? You blew us off in your own article by not explaining the "personal insults, unreasonable demands, and angry diatribes!" You are an educated man, Mr. Leibensperger; you should know better. Didn't your college require you to document everything you wrote in your term papers?

I find another part of your article very curious, where you say:

"Please make plans to attend or send representatives to future STRS Board meetings to provide either testimony or presence or both. I will help with the logistics of your participation and development of testimony."

Does this mean you will actually help teachers write their speeches? I find this incredulous! Don't you think teachers have the intelligence to write their own speeches? You are insulting them again! What does "logistics of your participation" mean? Are you going to send a limo to pick up these people and transport them to Columbus? As a matter of information, ALL CORE people have written ALL their speeches themselves, and have managed to get to Columbus on their own, at their own expense, from all over the state. Surely, you wouldn't expect other OEA/OEA-R members to do any less?

Well, I really don't expect to receive a reply from you. From my observations, the OEA leadership is slow to respond, if they respond at all, to issues from their membership that they are uncomfortable with. It is much easier for them to pick and choose whom and what topics they will address, and the manner in which they will address the chosen topics. With OEA's money, the leadership can put a spin on any issue they please, get it out to thousands and get away with it -- to a point. CORE is not going to go away any time soon, it appears, and our grass roots approach is getting the word out more and more every day on what is really going on in the 200 block of East Broad Street, Columbus.

Sincerely,

Katherine B. Bracy
Life member of OEA-R, CEA-R, ORTA, NEA-R, Central OEA-R, AFM/AFL-CIO
Proud member of CORE