Ryan Holderman to Tom Johnson: Congratulations

From Ryan Holderman, September 17, 2006

Dear Mr. Johnson:

Congratulations are due for you recent appointment to the STRS board. For the past three years many of Ohio's retired teachers have been advocating reform in the way STRS conducts business and oversees our pension fund. Mr. John Lazares and Dr. Dennis Leone were elected to the STRS board by folks who strongly believe that the STRS Board must adhere to the provisions of ORC 3307.15 and use every available means to protect the pension fund and avoid the errors and ethical lapses that have plagued the board in the recent past.

Dr. Leone and Mr. Lazares have been struggling for months to pass this motion:

"Board votes will not occur in the future on items like settlement agreements and/or vendor contracts without the board having said documents at the meeting when the vote is under consideration."

The news release below is from 2001. I found the portion that I've enlarged and underlined particularly interesting. I trust that the same standard applies to contracts, etc. that come before the STRS board. This is what Dennis Leone and John Lazares have been advocating for months. Judith Fisher, who you are replacing, apparently didn't get the same message from Governor Taft nor was it passed on by Susan Zelman to her representative on the STRS Board, Mr. Puckett!

Your support of the effort by Dr. Leone and Mr. Lazares to set this same standard would send an unmistakable signal to Ohio's retired teachers that you intend to take your fiduciary responsibility very seriously and work diligently to protect their interests.

Sincerely,

Ryan L. Holderman