Some of you may have received a packet from the Coalition that was referred to as a newsletter; it was more like an information and donation request. As much as we want and expect transparency in government agencies and with elected officials, there appears to be little to no transparency in the Coalition. The transparency starts and stops with the name, LEOFF 1 Coalition. The Coalition is in name only. Originally the Coalition was only open to LEOFF 1 organizations. There were at that time about six or seven groups that joined the Coalition. Over the years, all but one group have dropped out for one reason or another. The one remaining group that is somehow affiliated with the Coalition was referred to recently as a social group by the editor of their retiree newsletter. This group has LEOFF 1 and LEOFF 2 members, which, in my view, is fine. The point is that the Coalition always states that they only represent LEOFF 1 members.
To my knowledge, the Coalition has no individual members; wait a minute; they don’t have any members. They only have donors unless they have changed their bylaws. Has anyone seen a copy of their bylaws? Or, for that matter, a financial statement? Cast a vote in an election of officers? Or received a copy of any meeting minutes? The so-called newsletter is incorrect and misleading. The sole purpose of the mailing is to frighten you into sending your name, address, and a donation. Like all other groups that solicit donations, they never tell you how much money they have, how much they have spent, or how the money was spent. They just want more money.
We believe from our computations that they have in excess of $100,000. Joyce Willms, Coalition Lobbyist, stated that she talked with legislators who have advised her that there will likely be a pension grab. I would like Joyce to name one legislator who has given her this information. Joyce was never the first to mention or warn us of a retirement system merger or of any attempt to redistribute the pension fund.
It’s always been the RFFOW that rings the bell or sounds the alarm. It could happen, but there has been no indication at this time. The Coalition only wants to scare you into mailing back one of the cutouts, a card, or a letter. The cut-out that is most interesting is the one that allows you to opt-out of something you never belonged to. They only want your addresses to solicit a donation in the future. If you give your address, you will receive another request.
We advise you not to return anything with your name or address. Don’t send a donation as no money is needed at this time. We, the RFFOW through the kindness and generosity of our members, have sufficient funds to represent you in the event of any emergency.
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