Opening Day of the General Assembly
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There were more suits than we've seen in awhile in casual Annapolis—but that's always the case when the General Assembly comes back to town to do "the people's work."
MSTA held its annual Open House January 11 to celebrate the first day of the General Assembly. It's a day of camaraderie and good cheer as legislators from across the state play meet and greet with each other and their constituents. MSTA's event is no exception. Members, leaders, and staff took the opportunity to push for a better pension as legislators flooded the lobby of MSTA headquarters.
"The crowd here is a great indication of the impact our members' advocacy has had on the pension issue." said Pat Foerster, MSTA president, as she greeted guests at the door. "It's packed! The buzz is all about pensions—improving the benefit and doing it now."
Among the guests were U.S. Senate candidates Democrat Kwiesi Mfume and Republican Michael Steele. Doug Duncan, Democratic candidate for governor, also stopped by, as did Anthony Brown, Martin O'Malley's choice for lieutenant governor.
Senate candidates step out for MSTA's Open House
Kwiesi Mfume, Candidate for U.S. Senate (Democrat)
"This is the right place for me to be for all the right reasons. I'm
here as an advocate and I hope to be one for a very long time. Fifth
wealthiest state in the nation for teachers' pensions? It's
unbelievable."
Michael Steele, Lieutenant governor and candidate for U.S. Senate (Republican)
"It's important to forge a good working relationship with MSTA.
I look forward to working with MSTA on behalf of kids and students."
Why are you here?
Pension improvement top reason
Abby Hendrix, Montgomery
"I'm here for a few reasons; 1) It's opening day of the General
Assembly and it's very exciting! 2) I'm co-chair of my local's
legislative committee; and 3) I'm lobbying for a better pension!"
Bridget Kluwin, Calvert
"I'm here to support the pension campaign. It's a huge issue
of fairness for educational support professionals. It's not just
for teachers—it's for everyone who works with students
in public schools. Some support professionals in Calvert don't
get a pension large enough to cover the cost of their health care
benefit."
Kara Scarda, Calvert
"Why? We need a better pension so we can retire with some dignity."
Kevin-Douglas G. Olive, Baltimore County
"It's fun to be down here. Politicians need to know that there are
people my age who are interested and active."
Linda Eberling, Wicomico
"I'm here to lobby for a better pension."
Linda Riggins, Wicomico
"To celebrate the opening of the General Assembly and to meet with
my legislators and talk about my pension."
Lucille Davis & Larry Davis
"We're here to push for better pensions and to be sure Prince George's
county gets an elected school board!"
Charlene Artman, Prince George's
County
"The influence of teachers on our society can’t be overstated. A better
pension isn’t just for teachers—it’s for everyone. When we
can offer a decent pension, we can get and keep the best teachers and that’s
good for everyone."
Laura Dinn, Prince George's
"I'm here to show solidarity and encourage my legislators to support
pension reform. We lose so many teachers to other places
because of the pension issue."
Fran Green, Prince George's
"I believe it's important for us to show support for the work our
legislators do during the session. Plus it's a great opportunity
for me to introduce myself to my legislators and say, 'Did you
get my email asking you to improve teachers' pensions?'
"
Gladys Jenkins, Prince George's
"I'm here to celebrate the opening of the General Assembly and to
voice my concerns about our pension. I want to check on the status
of the emails I've sent and I'm going to let them know they'll
be seeing a lot of me the next couple of months."
