Dennis Leone answers some questions from June Hughes re: Board travel

Dennis Leone to June Hughes, May 21, 2007
Subject: Re: Might I ask

Good questions, June. My answers are:

1. The meetings are designed specifically for board member inservice for topics like investments. I realize that the meetings are legitimate......It's just hard for me to justify spending money on them when all non-Medicare retirees will soon see their yearly health insurance premiums increase by $1,632 per year (if they have the family "Plus" plan).

2. H.B. 133, adopted on June 16, 2004, requires Board members now to prepare a summary evaluation of the conferences they attend to illustrate how they are beneficial to them. Whether they are beneficial to retirees is another thing.........the Board members will argue that retirees benefit if THEY are better-informed Board members. It's like a school board members saying that teachers benefit when the board members attend a OSBA conference in Anaheim.

3. It is true that in years past, some board members likely never even went to the conference, and instead played golf. The required written evaluation makes this more difficult now, but I guess people can cheat if they really want to do so. Do I think we will have the flagrant abuses that were so prevalent in the past? No. The whole is more of an issue of principle for me.

Dennis Leone

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From June Hughes, May 21, 2007
Subject: Might I ask

What are the subject matters our illustrious board members be seeing and hearing for the upcoming conferences in Chicago and Milwaukee? Will there be a written report of how these conferences will be beneficial to all of us retirees? I don't mean just itemized spending but what will they learn and will they have to have their whereabouts proven? Or will they be enjoying the Oprah show and the great food Chicago has to offer and will they be testing the great beers Milwaukee has to offer?

Am I being cynical? Yes!

June Hughes (retired 1990)