Lara Baker on Hazel Sidaway charges

From:Molly Janczyk

January 05, 2006

Subject: RE: Hazel Sidaway

Thank you. We do understand and merely are mentioning the attitude of this entire board. She voted 100% of the time to approve this behavior and these decisions. Referring to bar bills, hotel rooms, trips, dinners DO reflect Ms. Sidaway's approval and indulgent behavior for herself disregarding ORC;3307.15: TO ACT SOLELY ON BEHALF OF MEMBERSHIP. That is why we hope more charges than what are on the table are considered for additional prosecution.

Molly Janczyk

From:Lara Baker

Subject: Hazel Sidaway

Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I appreciate all of your comments regarding the charges currently pending against former STRS Board Member Hazel Sidaway. Once again, I understand both your interest and concerns in this matter and I will keep those concerns in mind in prosecuting this case. However, many of your correspondences have made references to manner in which the STRS Board as a whole has exercised its fiduciary responsibilities both in making investments on the funds' behalf as well as in Board expenditures such as the retirement party thrown for Ms Sidaway. I can certainly appreciate your concerns relative to the Board's exercise of its fiduciary obligations, but please keep in mind that Ms Sidaway is not criminally liable for those decisions and has only been accused of ethics violations pertaining to the accepting of gifts and failing to report gifts received from outside vendors. As such, while her actions may or may not be a reflection of Board behavior as a whole, her criminal culpability rests solely upon her individual actions and not on the investment/spending decisions of the Board. As such, alleged breaches of the fiduciary responsibilities on the part of the STRS Board as a whole will not play a role in either the resolution of her case or in her sentence, should she be found guilty. I hope that this clarifies the nature of the pending criminal action.

Sincerely,

Lara Baker

Chief Legal Counsel, Criminal Division

Columbus City Attorney's Office