This recent article about the Marin County public union pension fund advisor and her cronies giving her an unprecedented 40% increase (ummmm...remember, when SHE retires that will be for lifetime benefits too !) is just mind boggling. Even with the increased scrutiny from County taxpayers, the press and lawsuits going against this unmitigated rip off of taxpayers, the union bosses have no shame. Who is in charge of the oversight here one should (and have) ask? Well, its kind of hard to tell from the quotes embedded in this article:
Pensions - Marin County style.
Who is in charge here? By Mark Hill, former Chairman and current member, Marin Republican Party. Blog posted Sunday, 9/16/07. This recent article about the Marin County public union pension fund advisor and her cronies giving her an unprecedented 40% increase (ummmm...remember, when SHE retires that will be for lifetime benefits too !) is just mind boggling. Even with the increased scrutiny from County taxpayers, the press and lawsuits going against this unmitigated rip off of taxpayers, the union bosses have no shame. Who is in charge of the oversight here one should (and have) ask? Well, its kind of hard to tell from the quotes embedded in this article:
MARIN IJ "Supervisor Charles McGlashan, a member of the retirement board, said it's time to look into setting up the pension system as an independent agency. ..."It just creates all kinds of morale problems," McGlashan said Wednesday, before the pension board met for two hours behind closed doors to discuss the issue. He noted that supervisors are being unfairly criticized for a raise that they did not set or have any say in setting. The pension board is made up largely of employees and retirees who benefit from the system they oversee. McGlashan and county Treasurer Michael Smith are the only representatives elected by taxpayers, who last year contributed more than $48 million."
Soooooo.....the County has an unfunded pension liability, (to be paid by Marin County taxpayers..who elected Charles McGlashan to represent them....) of over $700 million and growing and our Supervisor thinks there NOW might be a need for independent oversight? De facto, he is admitting he isn't independent...he's not, he is a public employee too .. owned lock stock and barrell by the Marin County public employee union bosses. Um Charles...you are over to $700 million in give aways TOO LATE.
MARIN IJ "Pension board members refused to disclose any specifics about Wednesday's private session, but after the meeting Smith called the discussion "very tense."Board president Sandy White, a county employee, declined to comment.The pension board's attorney, Linda M. Balok, also declined to comment after the closed-door meeting called to discuss "potential litigation." "
No surprise here...these are all public employees and are part of the public employee UNIONS ...get it? They don't care about taxpayers....thats what our Supervisors should be doing. But they don't and won't unless the cost of doing nothing is higher (letting the Union bosses run things ) than doing something...thankfully we are about there. The public and Marin County taxpayers are outraged as they should be.
MARIN IJ "McGlashan, during a public part of the Civic Center meeting, advanced his proposal to end the longstanding relationship in which pension program workers are considered county employees, even though they are paid by a pension system that has a separate budget and board of directors.
That bureaucratic relationship led to Benner getting a twin set of raises. The pension board approved a three-year, 30 percent increase; also, supervisors approved three years of raises, totaling as much as 13 percent, for Benner and other county department heads.The raises put Benner on a pay pace to be one of the 10 highest-paid county workers. By 2009, her annual pay could hit $239,343. She is now paid $166,046 a year.McGlashan said supervisors were not aware of the pension board pay hike until it wound up on their agenda for their endorsement. He was not at the pension board meeting when it voted to approve the raise, but he has said he would have supported it."
Again, where was leadership here before? The union bosses are smart...to the tune of $700mm by gaming the system so there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY. All of our Supervisors look like a long game of Twister ...blaming everyone but the ones who are responsible: themselves. This game of nods and winks at taxpayer expense should be illegal if it isn't already....the jury is still out on that one in a lawsuit in Orange County against their Supervisors and Public Union Bosses !
MARIN IJ "Supervisor Hal Brown on Tuesday said the pension board should be asked to reconsider and "modify" Benner's pay increase.Supervisors have been told by their lawyers that they have no say over the raise approved by the pension board, but they don't like being politically "tagged" for voting to ratify it, McGlashan said. "
UMMM...where is President Truman when you need him? Where does "the buck stop" Mr. Brown and McGlashan? As I see it, the answer has been clear...the public employee union bosses.
MARIN IJ "He has not complained about the raise, just the bureaucratic process that places supervisors in a position of having to ratify a pay hike over which they have no say.Benner's raise has turned into a political hot potato. Three supervisors - McGlashan, Brown and Steve Kinsey - face re-election in June 2008.McGlashan said there is support among the supervisors to look into getting out of the business of ratifying hirings and wages for the pension board, which has nine other member agencies besides the county."
This is ridiculous.....the Supervisor's solution to the public union boss' $700 million rip off of the Marin County Taxpayers?? Simple: "Run and Hide." One can hardly ignore the fact that none of the Supervisors are openly challenging the unions ... even today !!
MARIN IJ "Benner and County Administrator Matthew Hymel met Tuesday to discuss the matter. Hymel has told supervisors that it would take state legislation to turn the pension system into an independent special district.Benner said San Bernardino County just went through a similar process for its public pension system.She said it appears to be a natural evolution for public pension programs in California."
The Public Employees Union is a STATEWIDE organization. Every county is going through this process because all of the County public employee unions are doing the same thing Statewide. Not only is it bankrupting Marin, but it HAS bankrupted San Diego, Ventura County and many others. There is no "natural evolution" here...this is a sophisticated gaming of our County and State governments by the Union bosses to take untold billions from State and County taxpayers at the expense of our schools, roads, environment and needy people.
MARIN IJ "In Marin, it is a process that began last year with County Counsel Patrick Faulkner's decision to step down as the pension board's lawyer, a job that his office had held for many decades.Faulkner said the pension board needed its own separate legal counsel as he couldn't represent both the county and the pension board if there was a dispute between the two."
Sorry for being slow, but wasn't Patrick Faulkner (oh yes...a public employee too) conflicted when he "ok'd" the very retirement benefits that are now bankrupting our County? He should have recused himself from the beginning. All agreements made with his sign off should all be re visited due to this conflict which he NOW readily admits to. Hello.... District Attorney is anybody home???
MARIN IJ "McGlashan said making the pension system an independent district would be similar to the Transportation Authority of Marin, on which the county has representation, but its board and management decisions are independent from the county.For years, retirement system workers have been considered county employees, even though they are paid by the pension system."
Let me get this straight, actually, forget it....there is no straight about it...I am cross eyed by it. Can't those that supposedly represent us, present taxpayers with a straight answer, accountability and oversight??? If not, why not? Answer: THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION BOSSES and the Marin County Supervisors who are beholden to them.
MARIN IJ "McGlashan on Tuesday said it's time to consider "disconnecting the type of awkward oversight" role in which supervisors find themselves. The pension system should be "a completely independent body," he said. "
REALLY Mr. McGlashan? Well the question is where have you been? Welcome to the party. We are in the hole over $700mm already.
MARIN IJ "I don't understand why we have anything to do with this," Supervisor Susan Adams said. "This shouldn't even show up on our agendas."
Oh Ms. Adams - It is showing up on your agenda because the Unions set it up that way and with your and all of your colleagues' approvals, it has now cost this County over $700 mm in unfunded liabilities. To put it more bluntly, its your job.
MARIN IJ "Pension board member James Phillips said Wednesday there are no plans to change Benner's contract or to reduce the pay hikes she's been promised.He said the controversy started because the pension board did not confer with the county before it raised Benner's pay. He added that Benner's job is a unique position as it oversees a diversified portfolio that exceeds $1.5 billion."It's not similar to any other position in the county," he said.He praised Benner, who took over the pension's top job in 2005. "She very competent. She's very good. She's very smart," he said."
Well this is great oversight, one public union employee complementing another public union employee for giving away yet more taxpayer money. I remind all, that if this was a business, this "Company" of less than 5000 people would be over $1 billion in debt with not a hint of an idea (except one..tax increases) of how to pay it off.
MARIN IJ "Another board member, Allen Haim, said he was dismayed at moves to separate the pension program from the county."It's been a county family," said Haim, a former assistant county counsel who represents retirees on the pension board. "We're together, whether you separate us out or not.""
We are family???? The County has over 100,000 residents. These 3000 current employees (40% retiring in less than five years) and 2000 plus retirees, have taken their "family members" (that would be us) for over $700 mm. And like any bully, his last line wins its all: "We're together (aka "you are going to have to pay all this money we forced or tricked your Supervisors into paying us..$700mm) whether you separate us out or not". GOD HELP US.
I salute the Fourth Estate ... the Marin IJ ..... for their never ending and great coverage of this travesty. Cheers. mhSee "Pension chief in line for 44% pay raise" by Brad Breithaupt, Marin IJ, Monday, Aug. 27.
