Minutes - January 2011 CORE meeting

From John Curry, January 19, 2011
Minutes of the Jan. 13, 2011 CORE Meeting

After welcoming the fifteen retirees, President Dave Parshall opened the January meeting of the Concerned Ohio Retired Educators (CORE) by asking for approval of the minutes from the two earlier meetings. Dr. Alice Faryna moved to approve the minutes; Mary Ellen Angeletti seconded her motion. The members then approved the motion.

President Parshall immediately informed the group of three concerns. The first item was the update of CORE’s website, which he encouraged all to visit. Once again, President Dave repeated his concern that we need to watch out for our most vulnerable retirees. Lastly, he made members aware that the CORE trustees had voted to support HR158, healthcare for all Ohio.

The central part of this month’s meeting was Dr. Alice Faryna’s address to those in attendance. Her presentation consisted of: pointers about speeches to legislators; the creation of a binder (with a cover letter, contact information, as well as educational materials); effectiveness in engaging with legislators; mindfulness of the legislators’ time; and the importance of a follow-up letter. Dr. Faryna closed by reminding us that it’s always helpful to have a good relationship with the aides!

When Dr. Faryna asked for comments or questions, Mary Ellen Angeletti suggested that members might want to have Dave Parshall with them whenever they talk with senators and representatives. She praised Dave’s ability to communicate effectively with the elected officials that they’d conversed with when the two of them lobbied for healthcare two years ago.

President Parshall opened a discussion about the health care- pension plan. Although the exact plan – or bill – is unknown at this time, the group did agree that we all need to help sell a plan which is the best for retirees. (A point in our favor is that we are not professional lobbyists – we’re real people. We have a different point of view, one that the legislators need to hear.)

Prior to the closing of the meeting, President Dave welcomed the three new CORE attendees, Terri Thobaben, Linda Waddell, and Virginia Peterson. He urged all in attendance (and those who are absent, but who regularly check minutes and CORE alerts) to be sure to look at the CORE website.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:53.

Respectfully submitted,
Marie M. Fetters
CORE Secretary