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Aug. 26, 2010 Local 700 believes the Cook County Pension Board needs a fresh perspective. The union believes that our retirees as well as our future retirees deserve to have a pension that is protected by their own people. Local 700 supports Member and Department of Corrections Employee, Stan Acovelli and Local 700 Retiree, Christine Trzos, for the respective positions of Trustee and Annuitant Trustee on the Cook County Pension Board. The union is asking Cook County employees during the next few weeks to look for a ballot application mailer, fill it out and send it back to the county. If you don't receive the ballot or you believe you have thrown it out, call the union office at the Cook County Department of Corrections at (773) 869-3387. They have both picked up their nominating petitions to run for Cook County Pension Board. They have both received over 100 signatures to get on the ballot. Now, they need YOUR support. Acovelli has been with the Cook County Sheriff's Department for nearly 20 years. He was born and raised in Berwyn. Now, he is married and lives in Naperville. Acovelli's interest in becoming a Pension Board Trustee stems from his concern to secure sound pensions for his fellow Cook County employees and Local 700 brothers and sisters. "In this economy, everyone's been taking hits. People's salaries are being slashed and their stock portfolios have been cut in half," Acovelli said. "I want to provide our members with financial security when they retire," Acovelli said. "I want to help invest our pensions wisely to ensure that at the end of the day, Cook County employees and my Local 700 brothers and sisters have a pension in place, which has grown and not decimated." Trzos, a Cook County employee of 23-plus years, echoed similar sentiments. "We have about 23,500 Cook County employees in the pension. I am running because I want to protect my pension, my daughter's pension, my son-in-law's pension, every Cook County employee's pension," said Trzos. "I'm not a political hack. This is our pension money that we have all worked so hard for and I don't think it's right to put it in the hands of investors without portfolios," she said. "The Board needs to start making smarter financial decisions," said Trzos pointing out that over the past four years, the funding of the Cook County pension has dropped by 13 percent. "Our money needs to be watched more carefully. We can't afford another loss." The election takes place on Wednesday, October 27. The Cook County Pension Fund will send every Cook County employee a request form for a mail-in ballot. If the employee returns the request form, he will receive a ballot in the mail and he can vote and then send it in. If the employee chooses to not send in the request form for a ballot, they can vote at the County Building, 121 N. LaSalle St., in Chicago from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If elected to the Board of Trustees, Acovelli and Trzos would be two of nine members of the Board. Their sole purpose is to administer the Cook County and Forest Preserve District Pension Funds. These are defined benefit plans created by acts of the Illinois State Legislature to provide disability and retirement benefits to qualified employees of Cook County and the Forest Preserve District. Board members serve staggered three-year terms. The Board meets on a monthly basis for regular meetings and periodically as determined by the President. The Board has also formed committees to address and focus on key issues and strategies of the Fund. |
William P. Logan, President 1300 W. Higgins Rd. Suite 301 CONTACT YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR: UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, May 28 Wednesday, July 4 Saturday, August 4 |
