Re: January Executive Committee Report (OEA)

Subj:RE: January Executive Committee Report
Date:01/17/2006 1:54:18 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From:codispotil@ohea.org
To:rtwrr@aol.com

Ruth,

The EC has been give the challenge to see that locals get out the vote. They were told by me that the election would be won or lost depending on what they do to see to it that local associations get their members to vote. We lost the last election because our members did not vote. There were fewer votes cast in that election thaen in the previous one. The staff is preparing a whole campaign for the OEA and will present it to the EC in February.

The OFT has already endorsed two of their own members for election, Mark Fredrick, who screended with us and a gentleman by the name of Bracket from the Cincinninati area who did not screen. One of the problems with the OFT is that they tend to get the vote out for their candidates and not for the OEA. They currently have two (?) representatives on the Board and if they gain two more seats the OEA, which represents five times the number of members as they, would have only one. We cannnot afford such a scewered representation of Ohio educator membership.

OEA-R members need to talk to their former locals to tell them how important it is that OEA wins this election. The current Board, without an OEA majority, are talking about eleiminating health care benefits for retired members. This never happened when OEA held the seats.

CORE members are supporting Thomas Hall, the economics professor. He really screened badly. He had no idea of the issues that face STRS. He said one of his primary reasons for running was he and his wife had "empty nest syndrom" and he wanted something to ocuppy his time. He really did not know anything about STRS or how it functioned.

Connie Ramser got one vote more than Mark Meuser not one less. I have no idea of why that happened. There was no opposition to either of them during the discussion of the recommendation to endorse.

Len

-----Original Message-----
From: Weeks, Ruth
Sent: Tue 1/17/2006 10:46 AM
To: Codispoti, Leonard
Subject: Re: January Executive Committee Report

Thanks for your rreport from the Executive Committee. I agree that the STRS Board election presents a real challenge to OEA. What is the EC doing to get OEA members to vote? Why can't OEA and OFT get together to insure teacher representation on the Board? Is there anything OEA-R members can do to assist? Who is CORE pushing? Why did Connie Ramseer (Spelling?) get one less vote?