Articles about Member Stories that may be useful to Massachusetts retirees.
JANUARY 2012 VOICE: When an unseasonable snowstorm accompanied by gale-force winds slammed into Massachusetts on October 30, nearly a million households were again without electricity up to a week or longer.
It was only three months earlier that tropical storm Irene had caused havoc in much of Massachusetts, making October’s blast a double-whammy when followed by a cold snap of below freezing nights. This left those members without a heat source in some peril.
NOVEMBER 27, 2011: On October 28, 2011, Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday proclaimed Franklin J.( Buddy) Spaulding Day in the City of Newburyport. The proclamation was issued in recognition of Buddy’s 26 years of service on the Newburyport Retirement Board. The proclamation was issued just one month prior to his death on November 23, 2011.
2007 JULY - As communities focus more and more on paying for health insurance, local retirees have been organizing to better defend against attempts to reduce their benefits or shift costs onto them. This is not an entirely new phenomenon, since there are examples of municipal retiree groups, with a long and productive history, such as in Newton, Plymouth and Attleboro.
2007 MAY - Robert Hamilton, our Berkshire area Vice President, passed
away this February after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
2007 MAY - Over the years, we have reported on a number of hurricanes
and tornadoes that have raised havoc with our Florida members, most recently
hurricanes Charley, Francis, Ivan and Jean, which impacted broad areas of the
state in 2004. Hurricane Charley was especially brutal, coming ashore on the
Gulf Coast community of Punta Gorda in August ‘04, wiping out a thousand mobile
and manufactured homes.
2007 MAY - Members, who move to Florida seeking a nice relaxed
retirement with year ‘round sunshine, have found that state to be anything but
relaxed.
NOV 2006 - In our March 2000 edition of the Voice, we published a letter from
Association member Ed Giers of Cocoa Beach, Florida who wanted to share his
experience with experimental heart gene therapy, hoping to give inspiration to
others.
July 06 - Push For Tax Break Continues - Over the years, members have read reports about efforts to get Mass pensions exempt from income tax in North Carolina. The name that has become synonymous with this endeavor is Association member Charlie Peckham.
July 06 - Credit Union Boardroom Named in His Honor - Former State Retirement Board member Bob Cawley was posthumously honored by the State Employees Credit Union at the recent opening of the Credit Union’s new offices.
July 06 - Reached Flood Level - Although it wasn’t of the magnitude of the flood which devastated New Orleans last year, nor the recent series of Florida hurricanes which impacted large numbers of our members, mother nature paid a visit to Northeastern Massachusetts this May, which raised havoc with a good chunk of our state’s population.
Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. Join with our 62,000 members as we continue the fight.
