Charles Varney to Kevin Boyce: Please appoint Dennis Leone

From Charles Varney, July 16, 2009
Subject: STRS Appointee

Mr Kevin Boyce,
Treasurer State of Ohio

Mr. Boyce,

I am a retired educator, having served the children and youth of Ohio for more than 45 years. Thank you for your time in reading this letter.

I am joining those who are calling for you to enter the name of Dennis Leone as your appointee to the Board of Ohio State Teachers Retirement System and my reasons are stated below. Please afford me the courtesy of reading through them.

• Dennis is a retiree who has served the children of Ohio as a respected teacher and administrator for many years. His integrity is (in the opinion of hundreds of us) of the highest caliber and he is one who will stick by his word once he gives it. He is tough minded and persevering in the face of obstacles.

• Dennis is something of a "gad-fly", which in our opinions is a necessary part of a Board such as this. He not only asks the tough questions, but is ready to be tenacious in his search for the true "answer" in the face of opposition that is at times unreasonable and personal. He has for the past four years been the Board's "voice in the wilderness" calling out for reason and transparency of action against entrenched policies of contracting and abuse of power displayed so blatantly in former administrations.

• He worked tirelessly to move the Board to a more responsible and responsive plateau of action in the face of outright personal attack and opposition. An example would be his fight to have the opportunity to read and understand contracts to be voted on by the Board before the vote was called for. Unreasonable? I think not and I'm sure you as a fiscal officer would agree, especially in terms of the size of those contracts. His recent work regarding the payment of PBI's is another example. His calls to suspend such payments began in mid-2008 with the administration and Board members heaping ridicule on his motions. The Board did, however, in May of 2009, finally admit the correctness of the motions and moved to approved what had been suggested by Dr. Leone a year earlier.

Mr. Boyce, can an agency such as this one afford to be without such a "gad-fly" as Dennis Leone? We are talking of the responsible handling of billions of dollars here, sir, and there has to be a place on this Board for the "loyal opposition", a role that Dr. Leone would be able to fill admirably. Please name Dr. Dennis Leone your appointee to the Ohio STRS Board.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I wish you well.

Charles P. Varney,
Immediate Past President
Scioto County Retired Teachers Association