OFT Update (OFT's Electronic Newsletter) 5.10.06

Candidates Fall Short in STRS Vote Candidates backed by OFT and Protect Our Pensions Ohio did not win election to the STRS Board this year. Vote tallies were presented May 6 by VR Election Services, the company contracted by STRS to conduct the vote. Tellers appointed by each candidate reviewed the tallies and had the opportunity to inspect the ballots. Candidates endorsed by the Ohio Education Association – incumbent Connie Ramser and Mark Meuser - won the two active teacher seats. About 15 percent of the 302,000 eligible voters cast ballots. Last year, two OFT members backed by Protect Our Pensions and a retired superintendent who blew the whistle on spending abuses at STRS in 2003 won the three open seats. The vote totals suggest that a high percentage of OFT members voted and supported our endorsed candidates again his year. But, OEA clearly worked harder to rally its members and turn out a larger vote than they did in 2005. University of Cincinnati professor John Brackett and Cleveland teacher Mark Fredrick expressed appreciation for all of the hard work by OFT leaders and members. "We believe we ran an excellent campaign and raised issues that needed to be raised," said Fredrick. "We will continue to be active in advocating for sound policies at STRS, including a dedicated revenue source to preserve retiree health care for the long run." Brackett and Fredrick also thanked other critical supporters, including the unaffiliated Akron Education Association, Concerned Ohio Retired Educators (CORE), which backed Fredrick as well as Miami University professor Tom Hall, the Ohio Conference American Association of University Professors, which endorsed Brackett, the Columbus Education Association, which endorsed Brackett as well as Ramser, and also listed Fredrick as an acceptable candidate. All of these organizations distributed literature for their endorsed candidates. The independent South Euclid-Lyndhurst Teachers Association also distributed Brackett/Fredrick campaign lit. Saturday’s results notwithstanding, campaign efforts by OFT, other organizations in the Protect Our Pensions Ohio coalition and CORE have led to a much more balanced board in terms of organizational representation. As of September 2006, the six teacher seats on the Board will be held by two OFT members, three OEA members and two superintendents backed by CORE. However, OFT president Tom Mooney warns that the results of recent elections leave the Board with no ethnic diversity. Protect Our Pensions and OFT backed the only African-American candidates in the past two elections, but neither was successful. Mooney believes that “All organizations involved with STRS need to own this lack of diversity in the next election and make sure that it is addressed.”