Ryan Holderman to Susan Zelman: Puckett must go

Dr. Susan Tave Zelman
Superintendent of Public Instruction
25 South Front Street
7th Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215-4183
susan.zelman@ODE.state.oh.us

Dear Dr. Zelman:

I wish to express my concern about recent actions taken by Dr. Damon Asbury and the STRS Board. You, as an ex officio member of the STRS Board, have appointed Steve Puckett to represent you, act on your behalf when matters requiring a vote come before the board, and carry out your responsibility to provide oversight of STRS actions.

I have been retired since 1993 and have closely followed the actions of the STRS Board and Executive Director since 2003. In that time the former Executive Director of STRS, Herb Dyer, and former board members Hazel Sidaway and Jack Chapman have been convicted of ethics violations. Last week it was announced that former board members Joe Endry, Eugene Norris, Deborah Scott and current board member Michael Billirakis have been indicted for similar ethics violations. According to Paul M. Nick, the chief investigative attorney for the Ohio Ethics Commission, the latest charges represent the end of the investigation against board members, but an investigation of senior staff continues.

Your representative, Steve Puckett, has yet to make a public statement denouncing the disgraceful conduct of the indicted or convicted individuals. In recent weeks he has voted to pay the fees of private attorneys retained by STRS staff members who were subpoenaed in the ethics violation cases. These staff members were not charged, they were not indicted, and they were not being sued by anyone and yet Dr. Asbury saw fit to include their attorney fees in his monthly expenditure report. As your representative, Steve Puckett voted in favor of the payment and put your stamp of approval on it.

Dr. Asbury, during the August Board meeting, sought Board approval for the payment of $135,000 (the first installment of a $315,000 fee) to a Chicago firm to hire three or four real estate specialists for STRS. Once again Steve Puckett voted in favor of the payment and put your stamp of approval on it.

During the August Board meeting new health care insurance and prescription drug fees were announced. Once again retirees saw the spendable portion of their fixed incomes shrink significantly. Increased premiums, co-pays and out-of-pocket limits leave retirees wondering how they will avoid financial ruin. As in the past, there seems to be money for every expenditure proposed by Dr. Asbury and the STRS staff but none to relieve the financial burden of retirees.

As Superintendent of Public Instruction, I believe it is your responsibility to appoint someone to represent you on the STRS Board who understands the plight of retired teachers, has an understanding of the need to speak out against wasteful spending, and who will carry out their responsibility, as outlined in ORC 3307.15, "to discharge their duties with respect to the funds solely in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries." Steve Puckett, by his recent votes and by his failure to speak out about the improper actions of fellow board members, has demonstrated that he is not qualified to carry out those responsibilities. It is time for you to replace him with someone who is willing to do the job properly.

Sincerely,
Ryan L. Holderman