Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutM-77-0677City tcl I rribi ti rEPArt t MENT OF rtinuCITY ANF) YOURISM ri1 I Ir E TIIF nlnECtOR Ale) m;r A rPJF AC?ULF V APO MI AMI, I L nn1UA 33132 The Honorable Chairperson City of Miami Pension Board Dinner Key Miami, Florida Rose Gordon Dear Mrs. Gordon: I am taking this opportunity to call to your attention my situation in regards to my health and the City of Miami Pension Plan. I am the first to admit that when the ordinances were written, probably no one ever stopped to think of a situation that could occur such as mine. I will attempt to keep this brief and uncomplicated as much as possible. What the facts are is there is a very good medical chance -- I have cancer in each lung --that I will die within the next year, or so, which means that I will be leaving the City's employment before I am of the normal retirement age of 55. As of December 15, 1977, I will have actually 20 years of service in the City and also will have purchased 34 months of military service that I served with the United States Paratroopers. This will give me almost 23 years of service. My problem is that I have been told by the Executive Secretary of the Pension Board that if my death comes before I am 55, and even though I have been with the City 20 years or more, I will be penalized just as if I were in normal health and retired at the age of 53 or 54. Patonally0 tits, Jordon, if 1 have anything to do with it, 1 will die at my desk, I am not out to retire early and get any money not coming to me, but my penalty for leaving the City's service via death will be the same as if I were to retire, which is that I will lose the 10 per cent I have earned as an Assistant Director. I had nothing to do with making this rule, but it does exist and actually I have been an assistant director for 18'2 years. I also will lose --like a person normally retiring early does -- one half per cent for each year of service; instead of getting 22 per cent for each year, I will get, I am told, only two per cent. Because my death might come at the age of 53, I will be penalized seven per cent for each year that this is short of the age of 55. In other words, if I die next year, which is two years before my 55th birthday, I will be penalized 14 per cent. So speaking roughly, if I die in 1978--which naturally I hope I do not --but because I have cancer in each lung --the odds are my family will be losing a total of 321/2 per cent of my pension only because I died before 55 years of age and the City Pension System considers that the same as retiring before the legal age of 55 and deems it necessary to enforce these penalities on someone who retires early. My contention is that there is a big difference between dying at 53 with the amount of time required in--23 years --and retiring at 53, and I do not think that the aforementioned penalities were considered when the ordinances were adopted. I would like to list a few of my accomplishments in order to relate to you the type of employee I have been to the City because not too often have our paths crossed. When I was stricken on April 12, 1977, my attendance record was so good that I had over 800 hours sick time and without checking the records I think I had missed only one day for being sick in 10 years. My performance has been one that every rating period has seen me receive a rating of excellent. My major accomplishments show me being responsible for 99 per cent of the early work of bringing pro football to Miami and I helped bring the first two Super Bowls to Miami. I created the biggest international event Miami has in the Bowling Tournament of the Americas. I created the Champion Spark Plug Unlimited Regatta which gives the Marine Stadium its biggest rent day. to some nine years i ran the Marine Stadium as part of my normal duties in the Publicity Department, yearly puting in from 300 to 800 hours overtime for which I received nothing, and the man I replaced as director of the Marine Stadium was making more money than I was. I took it from seven events a year to 120. I suggested the ideas of puting in a restaurant and a boat hoist, which the City did. For Miami's 67th birthday, I had a 444 feet real birthday cake down the middle of Flagler Street. I created the Clergymen's Golf Tournament; set up the press rooms at all the golf tournaments in which we are involved; organized the Jimmy Burns Golf Tournament. During all this time I was doing my normal duties many of which were behind the scenes of ones that kept me "on the inside of the department." Many of the events which I created were using not the City's money, but outside money. So, in conclusion, I urge you to consider that I am not trying to get something for nothing and I have no complaints against anyone on the Pension Board because they have a job to do, but I do not think that when the rules were drawn up all situations that could happen to a human being were thought of. 'thank you for your consideration in the matter. Sincerely, Lee Evans Assistant Director;'