Ryan Holderman reports on WCRTA meeting

From John Curry, November 5, 2007

Subject: You aren't going to like what you read! House Bill 315

Keep in mind that the 2008 election is just one year down the road. There are over 400,000 STRS stakeholders (active participants and retirees) and almost each one of them has close relatives and friends who are of voting age...shall we say this final number might well total into the millions? Should the politician's prediction (below) come true....we can counter at the ballot box in about 365 days to show those that are up for reelection that we mean business! Housecleaning might be a better term! Remember how instrumental COREmembers were in helping usher Jim Petro and Betty Montgomery out the door just last year? We educated the educators. We CAN do it again! John

P.S. Thank you Ryan, Nancy, Marvin, and Molly for attending and representing all CORE members today at the Warren County meeting. At a time like this....a massive letter writing campaign is in order from every active educator, retiree, and especially administrators. Then again...will the administrators have the political courage to buck the OSBA and do the RIGHT THING? Will current educators finally understand that their future hinges on this issue (House Bill 315)? A "she did not know" is not good enough for all of those who have educated and are educating Ohio's future! I can only hope that no educator "pac" funds be given to any legislator who shows no support for this bill.

From Ryan Holderman, November 5, 2007

Subject: Warren County RTA meeting 11/5/07

Dear John:

Representative Michelle Schneider came to our WCRTA meeting today. After Shannon Jones reneged our program chairperson called Ms. Schneider and she agreed to come. She is the representative for part of Warren County.

The meeting was very lively. We asked a lot of hard questions and Ms. Schneider handled herself well and said that she was getting our message loud and clear. Having said that, she said that the healthcare legislation is dead. She's majority whip in the House and said that it would not be passed. She is also very supportive of divestment. WCRTA let her know that it was not in the best interests of retirees and that we did not support the practice.

I asked Ms. Schneider what solution she could offer to the health care crisis STRS faces and she, very honestly, said that she did not know.

Nancy Hamant, Marvin Bracy, Molly Ganz and several others joined in asking very direct questions. It was an interesting meeting!

Later,

Ryan