Mending fences: Dennis Leone and ORTA together at last at March 29 regional meeting in Athens

Special note: HUGE round of applause to Dave Speas for his monumental efforts in making this all possible. What would we do without him? KBB

From Dennis Leone, Thursday, March 30, 2006
Subject: ORTA Challenge

To all:

I felt the ORTA regional meeting yesterday in Athens went very well. I heard statements of collaboration that I have not heard in the past. Blin Scatterday and Lou DiOrio, in particular, made several positive statements about wanting to do whatever is necessary for all to move ahead collectively. I was permitted to address those in attendance before lunch and I basically followed the format of my recent six-month STRS Update. I joined the entire ORTA Board at the same table for lunch and it afforded us the opportunity to discuss items of mutual concern. After lunch, Blin Scatterday asked me if I'd be willing to write a column (much shorter version of my speech) in an upcoming ORTA Quarterly. I said yes, and Ann Hanning said that the earliest this could happen would be summer. I said that was fine with me. At the end of the day, I was permitted to answer a few questions from the audience. It is clear to me that Dave Speas is providing very positive leadership on the ORTA Board. Dave and I answered several individual questions right after lunch.

During my speech before lunch, I also mentioned how important it is that everyone work together for the sake of retirees. I told the group how the STRS Board chair recently tried to declare me out-of-order because I attempted to answer a question from the audience, and how another STRS board member publicly labeled me as "intrusive" because I asked questions about the budget. I then posed a challenge to the ORTA Board......I said: "I want the ORTA Board to be intrusive with me....... .that's my dream today." I also said, jokingly: "If you see the STRS Board chair calling me out-of-order because I'm trying to answer a question, you -- Ann Hanning, Blin Scatterday, and Lou DiOrio -- all of you need to go up to the Board chair and strangle him." Believe it or not, these two comments were well received by those in the audience.

Several at the regional meeting gave me their email addresses and asked me for a copy of my 6-month update. I am scheduled to speak at the Pike County RTA on April 13. RTAs in Jackson County, Meigs County, Hocking County and Shelby County have lined me up to speak on later dates.

Jake Frowine turned 97 yesterday and everyone sang happy birthday to him.

Dennis Leone