The Voice for Retired City Employees Since 1973 Association of Retired Seattle City Employees Non-Profit Organization P.O. Box 75385 U.S. Postage Seattle, WA 98175-0385 PAID Seattle, WA ARSCE www.arsce.org Permit No. 1100 News November/December, 2007 The Association of Retired Seattle City Employees Volume 35, No. 3 OUR PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Merry Christmas! By Walt North I hope you had plenty of chances to enjoy our northwest spo- radic sunshine. Summer is gone and fall is here with winter not far be- hind. In the blink of an eye, before winter arrives, the much anticipated COLA checks will be ours. We now have a brand new director for our retirement system. Please read about her in this newspaper issue. The ARSCE Board’s sincere thanks to Mel Robertson who, as Acting Director of the Re- tirement System, kept everything on track for active employees and we retirees. We had a wonderful luncheon at the Elks Club in Lake City this past September. The food was good, as usual, but the entertain- ment was excellent. This is the third time that ARSCE invited Debbie Dimitre of Patchwork Tales to perform. This time Debbie portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt. It is amazing that with very few props, Debbie transformed herself into our first politically active “First Lady.” ARSCE’s festive holiday party will be held at the Lake City Elks Club on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007. (See the sign-up form on the last page of this newspaper.) This is our big event for the year. We hope you will come and enjoy this holiday gala as we want your help to celebrate with those of us who will receive our first COLA ever. Please plan on bringing a gift for Santa and his helpers to distribute to fellow attendees. Or, in advance if you like PLEASE JOIN US or in lieu of your attendance, you may drop off your wrapped Christmas gift donation prior to the luncheon. You may leave your ANNUAL ARSCE HOLIDAY CELEBRATION gift at my home located at 10710 Second Avenue NW, Seattle, 98177-4808; or, you may leave your gift donation at the home of AND Rich and Nancy Jo Ceccarelli, 9815 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, COLA REALIZATION PARTY 98115-2239. (Please place a note on each present to indicate what is inside your wrapped gift.) Again, these gifts will be dispersed to the th ARSCE is celebrating the arrival of the long-awaited COLA December 12 luncheon attendees. at the Annual Christmas Luncheon on December 12th at the Lake City Elks. (See reservation form on the last page of this newspaper.) Come join in the festivities of the season. Come celebrate the COLA being reached and thank those who worked so hard to get it. There will be holiday music and Santa will be there to give Inside this Issue away lots of door prizes. A no-host bar and visit with friends will start at 11:00 AM with a traditional turkey or ham lunch served at Noon. What more can you want? Good food, lively music, great Page 2.......Your Pension News fellowship, presents, and a wonderful festive setting make your at- tendance meaningful. Bring your family members, neighbors, co- Page 2.......Life After Retirement (Part 2 of 2) workers, or whomever as you are guaranteed an enjoyable time. And, if you wish to contribute a gift to be offered as a Page 4.......Ken’s Perspective prize at this event, please see OUR PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE. See you there on December 12th! Page 8.......Fellowship All Over Town Page 9.......Just For Fun Page 10......Christmas Party Reservation Form Page 10.....Membership Application Form Page 2 — ARSCE NEWS — November/December, 2007 Your Pension News Life After Retirement: Perpetual Motion! By Mary Norris Retired By Joe Matthias, City Light Retiree Employee Member (As written to Emil “Bud” Eickstadt) Of the Seattle City Employees Hello All: Retirement System I retired from Seattle City Light in June of 2002. I guess I Our September 6th meeting provided an interesting experience was ready. Thirty-three years certainly seemed like long enough at for me. I attended via a conference call because I was recovering the time. That left me idle for about one year, where I dabbled at from a total knee replacement. I was able to sit in my own living different things, played, and dreamed of something more. Well, room and participate in the meting as if I was actually there. “something more” showed up and then some. In March of 2003 I During the public comment period, retiree Ed Kidd thanked hired in to Mantech International. I began work in their unit that in- the Board for the COLA that he has waited 25 years to receive. Ed stalls and upgrades security systems at US Embassies and Consulates retired as City Comptroller in 1980. around the world. Since then, my wife Patty -- who travels with me Although our 95% COLA funding is secure, Mel Robertson as often as she can – and I have literally seen the world. And we’re reported that it was 93.80% as of July 31st. We were fortunate that it not done yet. was only a slight drop as the financial markets fluctuated up and down. Mel reminded the Board that our fund is considered to be very Part 2 of 2 Installments conservative and not too volatile when the markets decline. Now that we have reached our COLA goal of 95%, we will strive to reach January, 2006 found us in Edinburgh, Scotland. We were 100% and be fully funded. At that point, we retirees will benefit there for around four weeks and it was cold, but we managed to see a from a Floor COLA increase from 65% to a 70% cost-of-living ad- lot. The castles in Scotland are in better shape than those in Ireland justment. Active employees are also anxious that our pension fund and most have tours which are very good. Edinburgh Castle is set on be fully funded to secure their future retirement needs. a bluff in the middle of Edinburgh and it dates back to the first Scot- City Council Member, Nick Licata presented a Sudan Divest- tish Kings around 950 AD. From its ramparts you can see literally ment Request to the Board. He suggested that we consider divest- all of Edinburgh and much of the surrounding countryside. It is still ment from companies whose operations in the Sudan support the gov- used for formal ceremonies and is open for touring. We ventured ernment’s genocidal activities in the western provinces of Darfur. north to Inverness for a weekend. Inverness sets at the end of Loch Although no action was taken, this is an issue that will possibly be Ness. addressed in the future. Continued on page 7 It was announced that Cecelia M. Carter is the Executive Di- rector chosen by the Retirement Board. She is to start in her new ca- pacity on January 2nd, 2008. December 12th is the ARSCE Christmas Party at the Lake WANTED . City Elks. Save the date for it promises to be a big celebration of “OUR COLA.” Someone interested in a fun, part-time job oppor- tunity. Would you be interested in learning how to put the ARSCE News together? If you have computer skills, familiarity with Microsoft Office software (or its Publisher feature) and a little “time on your hands,” WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! you can learn to compile and edit the ARSCE News. Leroy Alexander, City Light Once familiar and experienced with “putting the Ray Allwine, Engineering paper to bed” you could become the next Editor of the Jim Anshutz, Executive Administration paper. If this opportunity appeals to you, contact Jim Pamela Baer, Library Taylor at [email protected] There is a small remu- William Blair, Parks neration for each paper published. Robert Dennis, DCLU Diane Felty, Dept. of Transportation Dolores Finkley, City Light Sheila Hartnell, Seattle Center Karin Kenney, Associate Statement of Ownership And Management Jimmy Le, Seattle Center 1) Owner and Publisher: The Association of Retired Seattle City Employees Address: P.O. Box 75385 William Liening, Health Seattle, WA. 98175-0385 Fred Lighter, Parks 2) Title of Publication: ARSCE News Karen Meeks, City Light 3)Frequencyof issues: Six(6)issueseachyear. Carol Metcalf, Executive Administration 4) Walt North, President (206) 365-5416 Richard Miller, Dept. of Transportation Robert N. Graham, Vice President (425) 432-1717 Joanne Kinsella, Financial Secretary (206) 362-0902 Sharon Olson, Seattle Public Utilities Marlene Mowry, Recording Secretary(206) 909-6117 Joe Simpson, City Light Nancy Jo Ceccarelli, Treasurer (206) 525-5942 Dick Stevenson, Department of Transportation Judith Flemings, Interim Editor (206) 322-9122 5) Bondholders, Mortgages and Security Holders: None 6) The Association of Retired Seattle City Employees (ARSCE) is a non-profit organization for educational purposes according to section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax deductible. ARSCE dues are $ 8.00 each year from July 1st through June 30th. ARSCE Webmaster, Jim Taylor, is on vacation as this news- Opinions stated by various writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the paper goes to press. His column, Internet Schminternet, will return policy of ARSCE. next issue. Contact us at www.arsce.org ARSCE NEWS — November/December, 2007 — Page 3 In the “SPOTLIGHT’ BOOK NOTES Marian Goddard By Lorry Garratt, Library As provided to Pat Coupens THE SECOND STAIRCASE. By Christopher Fowler The Peculiar Crimes Unit part of London’s Metropolitan Po- lice has perhaps their greatest challenge. The elderly, cranky foun- ders of the unit are John May and Arthur Bryant and this series of weird crimes by a cape-clad highway man appears to be tied to the long ago, never solved mystery of the Vampire of London.