Mr. Mahoney, about your memo to those OEA people.....

From Kathie Bracy, March 23, 2009
Subject: Mr. Mahoney, re: your letter to OEA leadership
Dear Mr. Mahoney,

I read with much interest your 3/20/09 memo to various OEA leaders, in which you promoted the candidacy of Lorain Education Association member Carol Correthers for the STRS Board over Cincinnati activist and non-union member Jim Stoll, who did not choose to participate in an OEA screening or seek OEA's approval or recommendation for the STRS Board position.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Correthers at last Friday's Board session and found her to be an intelligent and classy lady. To my knowledge, last week was the first time she's ever attended an STRS Board meeting. It would have been nice to hear from her in the Public Speaks portion of Thursday's meeting, but perhaps she was not in attendance that day.

What I would like to know is exactly what has she done for the STRS stakeholders to date? Mr. Stoll has been very proactive, on his own, exposing more of the outlandish spending at STRS, obtaining and making public the salaries, bonuses, and heretofore hidden RAISES the members of the investment department have received. He has been proactive in requesting (subsequently demanding) STRS provide public information (some of which he was able to obtain from the Ohio Department of Education in a matter of hours, not weeks).

Mr. Stoll was proactive in taking his case to the Ohio Supreme Court, at his own expense, to obtain information he is entitled to. He has called STRS repeatedly and has been in contact with Board members. He has also addressed the STRS Board twice in a row, driving to Columbus last week just long enough to speak to the Board and drive right back to Cincinnati to go back to work. He has also voiced his determination to see that every active teacher in the state becomes informed about what has really been going on at STRS, where THEIR money is concerned.

I'm sure the high-salaried staff of OEA doesn't share quite the same concern as most retirees and the active teachers who are aware of the current financial status of STRS. Many of us DO find the loss of many billions of dollars, seriously threatening our pension and health care fund stability, alarming and yes, frightening. I suspect there are many active teachers around the state who are unaware of the true depth of the picture, and this is what Mr. Stoll is trying to do: educate, inform and simply wake them up. He is passionate about this, and if you look at the history of this country, you'll see that those who have been passionate have also been the movers and shakers who get things done.

Unlike the active members of the STRS Board who have very close union ties, particularly to OEA, Mr. Stoll does not have such political involvement or obligations. From my observations, he is very much his own person and an independent thinker, something I haven't observed in the OEA-connected active members of the Board. On top of that, Mr. Stoll is very sharp, well versed and openly committed to Doing What is Right, a mantra I have yet to hear from the current actives on the Board. From my perspective, Jim Stoll appears to be by far the best active teacher candidate out there. He doesn't just talk about what he's going to do -- he's already doing it.

Now, what can you tell me about Ms. Correthers' involvement thus far with STRS? If she is a potential Board member, I'd like to know more about her in this particular regard. Has she ever said what she's going to do if elected? I haven't heard anything. Is she passionate about anything regarding STRS? I haven't seen it so far; maybe she's waiting to get her cues from her union. I look forward to hearing from you and to your filling me in with more information pertaining to her candidacy.

Sincerely,

Kathie Bracy
STRS Retiree
OEA-R life member