It's been awhile since my last email so I want to catch up on a few items.

(1)  HB2097 as you know has been placed on inactive status for the time being. It could and most likely will surface in some fashion in the 2012 session. In the 2012-13 budget the Legislature appropriated $75k for the State Actuary to study the bill impact and report back to the House Ways & Means by Dec.15. In addition the Actuary was directed to seek input from LEOFF 1 and from the LEOFF 11 Board. At this time we do not know in what form this study will take place.

Those who know Matt Smith, State Actuary, know he's not a meetings kind of guy and is more of a numbers cruncher. There will be contact with him this next week to hopefully determine what he plans in the way of a study. In the mean time I am working with other LEOFF 1 stakeholders to hopefully set some basic guidelines on how to proceed once we have direction from the Actuary.

The Coalition wants to have a series of meetings to talk about our position and where we go from here as well as having coffee clutch meetings with Legislators to tell them why we oppose the bill and gear up for next session.

My suggestion is a much slower approach. I think Legislators are tired and want a break. I also believe we should have a representative stakeholder group discuss a plan with several alternatives and then wait until the Actuary decides how he wants to proceed. Then after all is said and done if the bill does move into next session then we amend it as needed to protect LEOFF 1 members. Having group meetings with large numbers will accomplish little if anything.

When there is talk about LEOFF 1 representatives there is an argument to be made that the very same organizations that caused this problem, WACOPS, Fire and FOP, can very well claim they too represent active LEOFF 1. Add to that mix every police and fire union and retired organization. The primary stakeholders as a group have worked very well together and with your help got us to where we are now. This is not the time to split up and everyone go their own way. This will project a divided message to the LEOFF 11 groups and Legislators. Each stakeholder would then be responsible for informing their members of the progress.

(2)  I have resigned my WACOPS Board position a month earlier than planned so that I can focus on HB2097 without criticism from individual WACOPS Board members. As you all know I was chastised by the WACOPS Board for not going along with their vote to support HB2097 and for supporting LEOFF 1 Retired. In 2000 and again in 2008 I made it perfectly clear that I represented retired on the Board. The Retired members are the ones who voted me as their representative.

In 2008 myself, President Prather and Board member Mary Robnett met with the retirees and there was considerable discussion about what if the LEOFF 1 retired were at odds with WACOPS over an issue would we be free to oppose WACOPS and represent our retired group.

HB2097 was such a time. The current WACOPS Board took the position that they were not party to that discussion and I had a responsibility to "hold hands and jump off the bridge with the Board" and had no right to place our name "WACOPS Retired" on the letter sent to the Gov.

Lee Reeves, WACOPS lobbyist, claims that the letter caused irreparable harm to WACOPS. I have called them on what I believe is a false claim. They discount all the letters, emails and phone calls made by LEOFF 1 members as well as employers and even LEOFF 11 organizations to the same Gov. and Legislators opposing HB2097 as well as HB2068 and HB2071. Through our contacts with the Gov. staff and Legislators there was acknowledgement that this bill hadpotential serious financial implications to employers as well as litigation issues and was not very well thought out.

There was also no acknowledgement by WACOPS, Fire or FOP that we also contributed to defeating HB2068 and 2071. Look at the facts...WACOPS, Fire and Fop supported the bill. On the other side every LEOFF 1 organization, State Fire Chiefs, COMPAS, Seattle POG ,King Co. POG ( all LEOFF 11 organizations) as well as AWC and Assoc. of Wa. Counties all opposed this bill. And for the LEOFF 11 members who lied to Legislators telling them we supported the bill shows the level of integrity they have and the length they will go to get what they want. To be clear the rank and file LEOFF 11 as a whole were not involved in this misinformation so we should not hold it against them.

Rest assured I will work with all legitimate LEOFF 1 organizations to resolve this issue in the best interest of all LEOFF 1 members. I promise to keep all of you informed as to our progress. All I ask from you is to give us a chance and don't be part of the problem. With your support we will prevail. If you get solicited for donations decline. We are a long way away from even talking litigation.

Ken Crowder

WACOPS Retired ?