As of September 11, 2008, we were recognized as an official chapter of RPEN, during a trip to Reno for the RPEN Executive Board meeting! Pictured left to right are Jeanne Crayton, Two Rivers State Delegate, Colleen Bell, RPEN President, Ken Rodgers, Two Rivers President, and Marilyn Cheney, Two Rivers Vice President. We were accepted as the newest chapter of RPEN, the first in 9 years, and got to meet a large number of active retiree’s representing RPEN all over the state. This is a dynamic group of people that collectively have our best interests in mind and I’m proud to be among them. I learned several important items at the annual meeting. Although I won’t cover everything, I will give you a brief recap.
First, the status of our 501c (4) was discussed. This is a tax-exempt status for socially active organizations that advocate for some special interest group..in our case, (us) retiree’s in PERS. As a Chapter, we cannot publicly support any politician, but there are no limits to how much we can help lobby legislation which supports our interests. As an arm of the parent organization, Two Rivers will take great care not to jeopardize the tax-exempt status of RPEN, which would increase our operating costs significantly. However, individually, we can contact our legislators, identify ourselves as RPEN members, and ask their positions on issues effecting retirees. RPEN is in the process of revamping their Website to keep us better informed and help streamline that effort.
Secondly, we have enclosed some supplemental insurance brochures distributed by Ernie Strobel, owner of EJS Insurance Services, Inc. RPEN has endorsed Mr. Strobel and his company, who has promised to give our group a discounted rate on all his supplemental products, which include dental, vision, hearing, and long-term care plans. There was even some information on pet insurance. Apparently Mr. Strobel has had a great working relationship with Retired Public Employee Association of California and came to RPEN highly recommended. If you are interested in any of these products, call his office at 1-800-841-6238.
Each Chapter President had an opportunity to report some of their Chapter activities through 2008. I noticed Marilyn, Jeanne and I all scratching ideas for speakers for the educational component. We hope to provide informative and entertaining speakers for all of our future meetings. Feel free to share ideas and, if you have someone specific in mind, please pass that information to one of us. As your Board, our goal in the coming years is to make this meeting worthwhile. Your suggestions are always welcome and your attendance is deeply appreciated.
As the meeting came to a close, it was easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm and the three of us were no exception. We felt compelled to submit a letter offering to host the Executive Board Meeting held in September of 2010. We felt that Mesquite would be the perfect venue for hosting it, and it would allow us to spotlight our growth and rural setting.
Finally, as you are well aware, the PERS system is under attack for this upcoming legislative session. Due to the state budget crisis and more recently the state of Wall Street and the “Trickle-Down Effect” of both these critical occurrences, our funds will continue to be both a topic and a target. The Las Vegas Review Journal is obviously not one of our biggest fans and seems to take cheap shots at us whenever possible. The effect of those inaccurate editorials will quickly turn the tide of popular opinion against us. Another factor, which will be extremely important in the future of our PERS system, was covered by our Executive Director, Marty Bibb. Due to the implementation of term limits, we have lost the “institutional memory” of the knowledgeable legislators that have supported PERS in the past. This will leave PERS a constant target unless we become more active members of RPEN. The undercurrent at the Executive Board meeting was clearly a call to action by the membership. For instance, we currently have 9000 RPEN members, but over 40,000 PERS retiree’s and many more illegible actives. I challenge each of you to recruit one or two members into our group in the coming year. The larger the numbers, the stronger the voice we have in the state capitol! My second challenge would be to get actively involved. Take these issues personally by contacting our legislators and give them factual information about PERS in particular and retiree’s in general. In our future meetings we will discuss what we can do individually to help safeguard our retirement funds. Let’s not let that be the only information our friends, neighbors, and politicians use to form their opinions about PERS retiree’s.
Thanks for being a member of RPEN,
Ken Rodgers
First, the status of our 501c (4) was discussed. This is a tax-exempt status for socially active organizations that advocate for some special interest group..in our case, (us) retiree’s in PERS. As a Chapter, we cannot publicly support any politician, but there are no limits to how much we can help lobby legislation which supports our interests. As an arm of the parent organization, Two Rivers will take great care not to jeopardize the tax-exempt status of RPEN, which would increase our operating costs significantly. However, individually, we can contact our legislators, identify ourselves as RPEN members, and ask their positions on issues effecting retirees. RPEN is in the process of revamping their Website to keep us better informed and help streamline that effort.
Secondly, we have enclosed some supplemental insurance brochures distributed by Ernie Strobel, owner of EJS Insurance Services, Inc. RPEN has endorsed Mr. Strobel and his company, who has promised to give our group a discounted rate on all his supplemental products, which include dental, vision, hearing, and long-term care plans. There was even some information on pet insurance. Apparently Mr. Strobel has had a great working relationship with Retired Public Employee Association of California and came to RPEN highly recommended. If you are interested in any of these products, call his office at 1-800-841-6238.
Each Chapter President had an opportunity to report some of their Chapter activities through 2008. I noticed Marilyn, Jeanne and I all scratching ideas for speakers for the educational component. We hope to provide informative and entertaining speakers for all of our future meetings. Feel free to share ideas and, if you have someone specific in mind, please pass that information to one of us. As your Board, our goal in the coming years is to make this meeting worthwhile. Your suggestions are always welcome and your attendance is deeply appreciated.
As the meeting came to a close, it was easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm and the three of us were no exception. We felt compelled to submit a letter offering to host the Executive Board Meeting held in September of 2010. We felt that Mesquite would be the perfect venue for hosting it, and it would allow us to spotlight our growth and rural setting.
Finally, as you are well aware, the PERS system is under attack for this upcoming legislative session. Due to the state budget crisis and more recently the state of Wall Street and the “Trickle-Down Effect” of both these critical occurrences, our funds will continue to be both a topic and a target. The Las Vegas Review Journal is obviously not one of our biggest fans and seems to take cheap shots at us whenever possible. The effect of those inaccurate editorials will quickly turn the tide of popular opinion against us. Another factor, which will be extremely important in the future of our PERS system, was covered by our Executive Director, Marty Bibb. Due to the implementation of term limits, we have lost the “institutional memory” of the knowledgeable legislators that have supported PERS in the past. This will leave PERS a constant target unless we become more active members of RPEN. The undercurrent at the Executive Board meeting was clearly a call to action by the membership. For instance, we currently have 9000 RPEN members, but over 40,000 PERS retiree’s and many more illegible actives. I challenge each of you to recruit one or two members into our group in the coming year. The larger the numbers, the stronger the voice we have in the state capitol! My second challenge would be to get actively involved. Take these issues personally by contacting our legislators and give them factual information about PERS in particular and retiree’s in general. In our future meetings we will discuss what we can do individually to help safeguard our retirement funds. Let’s not let that be the only information our friends, neighbors, and politicians use to form their opinions about PERS retiree’s.
Thanks for being a member of RPEN,
Ken Rodgers
