Jim N. Reed: Some observations, revelations, musings, conclusions.....and guarded optimism

From Jim N. Reed, April 21, 2009
Subject: Blockhead Solidarity, Malcontents, Closed Elections, and the Renaissance

Kathie, I noticed in a recent posting of an excellent on-point letter from Rich DeColibus to Mark Meuser that the STRS Board member's mail box refused the e-mail.

Maybe that explains why Mr. Meuser and some other Board members claim they receive very few negative letters from membership regarding their embarrassing behavior as regards past and recent Board decisions. Maybe Mr. Meuser, Mr. Myers, Ms.Ramser, and Ms.Cervantes really believe there are few stakeholders who found their votes to reject PBI suspension disgustingly absurd even though their out-of-touch decisions flew in the face of official OEA mantra.

(The only OEA-endorsed member who had the knowledge, sensitivity and courage to stare down the PBI proponents was Ms. Tai Hayden. Her sensitivity and fortitude has not gone unnoticed.)

One way to avoid being critiqued is to shut off the critic. All good reviews. A gorgeous, glowing report from the STRS Bulletin on membership satisfaction (does anyone know anyone who's been surveyed?) keeps non-informed members in the dark.

This current e-mail refusal by a Board member's service re-touches a nerve from Dyer's Dirty Regime. Upon retirement and having some serious questions regarding the way mine was processed I had occasion to make several attempts to contact STRS Board members after Dyer provided nothing but condescension, patronizing, and blatant disregard.

As a constituent I expected the courtesy of being channeled to one of my representatives of my retirement system that I had paid into for 33 years.

Wrong. Letters and phone calls to Board members at STRS were never returned by those elected/appointed officials. There was recognition of having received my contact but with each call and letter a response came from the Chief himself, Herb Dyer. Dyer would then proceed to give me the STRS punch line as to why my case, along with 5,000 others, was mishandled the way it was.

Talk about solidarity! Blockhead solidarity! One way to keep the troops in line is to have one official mouth- piece.

I was able, finally, to reach one Board member at his home. I will always be grateful to him for being willing to speak with me privately. My sense of that phone call was that he was uneasy but felt it was the right thing to do.

We must never allow any excuses offered as to why any stakeholder does not have total access to anyone we seek a response from at STRS. With the amount of contributions made to our retirement system from educators, boards of education, and local taxpayers and with 450,000 stakeholders' and beneficiaries' security dependent on Board decisions, if anyone is "entitled" to anything in the system it's truthful and fair answers for the membership.

One way of diverting attention from the mismanagement of pension funds within our once proud retirement has been for STRS-OEA ( a hyphen is all that separates them) to go on the offensive and attack the messengers of the challengers.

The written legacy of the disloyal opposition includes allegations that those who have challenged STRS-OEA are "liars," "alarmists," "dissidents," "deceivers," "panderers" (to fear and emotion), "cynics," and "malcontents" (my favorite moniker as we were branded when Dr. Leone exposed the foxes in the hen house in 2003).

Those that have insisted on muckraking reform have been accused of being destructive, deceptive, misrepresentative, just to name a few of the allegations.

What is quite ironic is that some of these same accusers were (and may still be) the disciples of the "Malfeasant Seven," the infamously indicted Board members and Executive Director who were ethically challenged, convicted, and removed from their official duties by the court (or, in Dyer's case, golden- parachuted, with a half million dollars of our funds, by the rascals on the Board before corporate slum-lording was such a well-accepted national pastime).

Membership must insist on open elections in their districts. Once again in this April's Board election attempts were made to disparage, discredit and close-out non-union candidates for the active and retired seats. All's fair in politics, right? Sure, if all contestants are competing on a level playing field.

Why should any candidate not have equal access to the electorate? And the most embarrassing shame of this type of closed election? Can anyone think of a more disgraceful venue for this type of undemocratic process to take place than in the halls of an institution of learning? How can a teacher-candidate look into the faces of their students knowing that because their opponents would not walk nor talk the union label their message was stifled. Are open, free elections only for classroom promotion and democratic idealism.

Some four years ago Dr. Dennis Leone and Mr. John Lazares inspired me to believe that there was a badly needed Renaissance at STRS. Mr. Lazares paid his dues in several ways advocating for actives and retirees as a Board member. He gave of himself until it hurt. None of us who attended his Board meetings will soon forget what he accomplished, personally and professionally.

Dr. Leone has not succumbed to the insults, allegations and confrontations from less than informed colleagues on the Board. He has more than held his own due to his expertise in financial, legislative, and administrative matters. To his much deserved credit, Dr, Leone has provided more oversight, watch-dogging, practical reform, and educator advocacy than any member in the annals of the STRS Board.

Unfortunately for the active and retired educators in Ohio, Dr. Leone's tenure has about concluded. He can rest assured that he has garnered the admiration and respect of all of those educators whom he has taught the meaning of being STRS-literate.

What of the continuing Renaissance minus a Dr. Dennis Leone? First of all, though he may not be on the Board, my best estimate is that he will be in the Board room whenever he believes the decision makers at STRS are not respecting ORC 3307.15. Much to the chagrin of some Board members, administrators, and staff I doubt that Dr. Leone will ride quietly into the education sunset.

There is new reform blood on the horizon. Men like Jim Stoll, Bob Stein, Rich DeColibus, and Ralph Roshong will continue to challenge STRS to provide integrity, transparency, sensitivity and trust for its membership.

The days of unrestrained, out-of-touch mismanagement, and disregard for ORC 3305.17 leading to stakeholder insecurity are going to be closely monitored by a new generation of watchdogs, whistle blowers and reformers inside and outside STRS Ohio.

Jim N. Reed