Since this is the first time many of you are seeing my name as Pennsylvania Federation President I will provide you a brief introduction. I retired in 2004 after 32 years with the Federal Government working in the intelligence arena on communications security and program management. The agencies I worked for included The U.S. Army 7 th Signal Command at the Pentagon, General Services Administration, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Air Force 11 th Wing, Bolling Air Force Base, which assigned me to the National Drug Intelligence Center, Johnstown, PA in 1994. My government career was a blend of maintaining, designing, creating, upgrading communication systems, and salesmanship, meeting with heads of agencies to sell sensitive data systems. I joined NARFE in 2006 just as the Johnstown chapter was planning the 2006 convention. The president Bill Rozier immediately appointed me as junior service officer and then service officer. Three years later I became president of the Johnstown Chapter and six years after that, District 7 Vice President. As DVP I began to understand the structure of NARFE, the objectives of the Federation, and the politics involved. In the chapter, I am 1 st Vice President and membership chair. I believe the membership chair position gave me a better understanding of the workings of NARFE and its relationship with members. My wife Judy and I live in the New Germany area of Summerhill/Ebensburg, PA, on a small horse farm. Sometimes I feel I work longer and harder at farming than when I was a federal employee. The new federation 1 st Vice President/Membership Chair is Richard Zuck, President and membership chair of the Presque Isle Chapter 143. Rich comes to us by way of the USPS. I feel there are some pretty big shoes to fill as Federation President and I hope I can come close to providing the dedication and service that Immediate Past President George Shal has shown over the past four years. I believe good communications around the federation will be the key to our success in maintaining our membership and rebuilding our chapters. Do not hesitate to contact me on any NARFE issues. George s article in this newsletter not only talks about the federation transitioning to the newly approved bylaws, but is also a wrap of his four years as president and the end of the federation convention era. The issues we will be working on over the next two years: One member/one vote for elected federation officials; Appointing/Electing Congressional District Vice Presidents; Bringing PA National Only members into federation activities; Strengthening not closing chapters; And of course advocacy and recruitment. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 1 August 2018
Prior to Fedcon18, I will be attending the Federations Presidents/NEB meeting on Saturday and the federation presidents only meeting on Sunday morning. The agenda for the president s meeting include: How to Involve National Only Members in Federation Activities Simplification of Chapter Closure Procedures One Member One Vote Requirements for Federation Elections How to correctly implement OMOV without the financial resources to mail ballots to all Federation Members Privacy of Election Ballots Voting by National Only members for Area/District Vice Presidents Ideas for conducting a successful election (ballots, counting of ballots, and etc.) Ideas for Recruiting New Members and Retaining Current Members Membership Renewal Letter Structure of NARFE Chapter and Federation Support from NARFE HQ As you can see our federation concerns are the same concerns all across NARFE. I will bring back the best practices and suggestions for a successful implementation of our bylaws. It will take all of us working together and we will be successful. New Federation Bylaws The new Federation Bylaws are posted on the Federation Website https://www.narfe.org/site/pa/ Up Coming 2018 PA Federation and NARFE Activities Date Event August 20 Electronically distribute Federation Newsletter August 25-26 NEB/Federation Presidents Meeting, Jacksonville FL Aug 26-28 NARFE FEDcon18, Jacksonville FL Aug 29 NARFE National General Membership Mtg, Jacksonville FL Aug Sep Vote for NARFE National President Sep 1 Federation Quarterly Newsletter bulk mailing Sep 10 Chapter 664, Philadelphia Center City 60 th Anniversary Luncheon Oct 10-11 PA Federation Executive Board Mtg. The Woodlands, Wilkes-Barre Oct 29 Chapter 1063, Chambersburg 50 th Anniversary Luncheon Nov 1 Newly Elected National and Regional Officers take Office NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 2 August 2018
Transition tran si tion; tranˈzish(ə) noun 1. The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. Synonyms: change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis, alteration, handover, changeover Transition. That about sums up where we are in NARFE nationally and in Pennsylvania statewide politically. There is much to get done and your new Federation officers are taking charge of this effort; they need your help and support! There is a lot to talk about, resolve, and plan for in the coming months and years. Let s go! Changes in NARFE s governance and organization were approved by Bylaws changes at the 2016 National Convention. The effects of some of those changes have been profoundly felt in our local chapters and, many believe, in our overall membership numbers. In any case, we are here now. So, what to do? This year s Pennsylvania Federation Convention was conducted in concert with the Region II Training Academy for the very first time. The Academy was the perfect lead-in to this Convention and the critically important revisions and adoption of new Bylaws for Pennsylvania. A meeting and some training at the same place and the same time. This was a new idea and it worked. As a transition event to the new Bylaws, our 2018 Convention was primarily supported by Federation officers with local chapter assistance. By design, many traditional activities associated with prior conventions were not included this year: there were no chapter booklet ads, no basket raffles, no bus trips, no big raffle drawing, no evening entertainment, and, sadly, no hospitality room. Instead of supporting those traditional Convention activities this year, the Pennsylvania NARFE Chapters were encouraged to financially support chapter members attending the Training Academy and the Convention. Oh, by the way, this was the very last Convention of the Pennsylvania Federation of NARFE Chapters. The very last CONVENTION. Ever. So, what happens now? Well, a lot of things are already happening. Some are still developing in the background as NARFE intensifies its position as the best advocate for your benefit. As we support those who share our mission, other organizational changes are being finalized and you will have a strong voice in selecting your local officers. When and how the voting will be conducted in a world without the old time Conventions is a key challenge for NARFE nationally. Stay tuned! You have a new, great team of leaders in Pennsylvania working on these issues. Please help them and your local chapters. We need each other now more than ever. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 3 August 2018
Certified results of 2018 NARFE election outcomes were announced the first week of July and placed on narfe.org and in the magazine. I ll recap briefly as this was a milestone One Member One Vote event. No candidate for National President won a majority so there is a second ballot, and instructions, for this position in the magazine and on line. It will use a preferential approach as approved by 80% member vote. Kathryn Hensley of SC is incoming National Secretary/Treasurer. NARFE Articles of Incorporation were revised via an 89% vote. Change to the National Secretary/Treasurer s salary beginning 2020 passed via an 83% vote. All proposals recommended by the National Bylaws and Resolutions Committee were adopted by 86% to 96%. Voters agreed with all proposal rejections recommended by that Committee as well by 82% to 92%. Committee members were Federation leaders from across NARFE and operated independently. No HQ staff or National Officers advised or directed them. Only 6.77% of those eligible to vote did so--13,720 NARFE members: 70% via email, 30% via US Mail. This was despite membership being informed of ballot information in numerous magazine issues, on-line messages, newsletters and meetings. Members were offered contacts for questions they had and urged to vote. The ballot was distributed mid-may in the June magazine sent to all members with an address on record at HQ. Not every voter voted on every item. Those known until now as National members cast 26% of all votes though as a group 4.34% of such members returned a ballot. Of all voters in PA s Federation 5.52% voted and of all voters in Region II 5.89% voted. Data from the first One Member One Vote national election signal work ahead to keep improving NARFE s governance. For now, encourage review of candidate statements and voter turnout for the 2 nd round National President ballot. Further, stand by for publications and guidance flowing from election results. Members adopted via 95% vote use of Association membership in lieu of National membership. So, please use Association membership in any situation where Chapter membership is not appropriate. HQ will reflect this term in materials and messages going forward as should all segments of NARFE. With transitions underway mentioned above and otherwise, please be sure to continue your excellent annual audits of Federation and Chapter treasuries. While this may not be a popular topic, leaders must be strong fiduciary stewards of member money and properly handle all funds and dues revenue. Thank you to the many PA attendees, especially presenters and helpers, who made the June 11-12 Region II Training Academy in York, PA a success. It was so scored by the large number of evaluations received. In all, 140 attended from DC, DE, MD, NJ and PA plus several from FL, VA and SC. They shared experiences and lessons learned. They engaged candidly with HQ experts and peer practitioners plus all candidates for National President and a candidate for National Secretary/Treasurer (with the other candidate unavoidably detained at the last moment). Congratulations go to all who hosted a productive PA Federation Convention after the Academy and to Larry Palecek for being acclaimed the new PA Federation President and to the Board members joining him. Best wishes to George Shal for his fine 4 years service as previous President. I hope to see you in Jacksonville, FL at the informative FEDcon18, NARFE s National Conference the end of August. I am grateful for the good works all PA members do for NARFE and its mission. It has been and is my honor to be Region II VP November 1, 2012 to October 31, 2018. Kathy Adams of DE is pleased to join forces with you on November 1 when she becomes Region II s VP. Lastly, as you have heard me say: Always Forward. It s the only way to go. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 4 August 2018
Our membership numbers continue to drop at all levels--national, Regional, Federation, and local Chapters. Since the end of 2017, our Federation alone has lost 661 Chapter members. While National Only Members within the Federation has climbed by 327, we are still left with a net loss of 334 members. We feel that we know most of the reasons for this decline--our previous Federation 1st Vice-President Richard Cellino has detailed them for us in past newsletters and other communications. We have no control over some of the reasons but we can impact at least one with a little investigative work and follow up. In the month of June this year, 42 PA Federation Chapter members were transferred out their local chapter (a total of 23 chapters) to become National Only members, including 2 from my chapter, Presque Isle Chapter 143. In July, another 25 PA members transferred out of their chapter, all becoming National Only members. Most chapters know what they have to do--use one of the letters on our Federation website (https://www.narfe.org/site/pa/?fa=content&id=5908) and contact each member transferred out to see if they meant to leave your chapter and give them an easy way to return. I have been doing this since last November (I include a stamped, self-addressed envelope) and have a success rate of over 60%. The report detailing members Transferred Out of Chapter is in the OAM in the Activity Report. If you need help accessing this report, contact me by email at rzuck@neo.rr.com. It is imperative that we all stay on top of these reports to keep our chapters as strong as possible. While maintaining our current memberships is important, we must also look hard at recruiting new members. To that end, the Pennsylvania Federation is continuing its $10 New Member Recruiting Incentive. Couple this with the $10 recruiting incentive program from HQ that runs from September 1st through the end of this December and members can be rewarded with $20 for each new member they bring in to NARFE. Use (1) the membership application that can be found near the back of every NARFE Magazine, (2) the application in the F-135 Recruiting Brochure, (3) the online application at www.narfe.org (look for "JOIN NOW" in red on the left side of the screen), or (4) just call the Toll-Free NARFE Membership number 800-456- 8410. Just be absolutely certain that you include your membership number (it is on your NARFE Magazine address label) as the recruiter to ensure that you get your incentives. You don't have to do anything else to claim your reward. Do your best to encourage local membership, even though some new members might not want to join a local NARFE Chapter. Know that either way, you will still get your incentives for recruiting new members who reside in Pennsylvania. The mid-term Congressional elections this November makes contributing to NARFE-PAC as important as ever. This year in Pennsylvania, more than a third of our Congressional delegation will be new. It is important for NARFE to start building relationships with these candidates during the campaign. Your support of NARFE- PAC helps make this possible. I sometimes receive a request from our National Coordinator for a NARFE member to attend a Congressional Representative or Candidate event. This would be a local event in your district. If you have an interest in attending one of these events as a representative of NARFE, call me at 215-699-8399. I will put your name on my list of members to call should I be notified of something in your area. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 5 August 2018
August is Legislative Advocacy Month. It is the month that Congress is in recess ant the legislators are home meeting their constituents. I have received several notifications of contacts that various chapters have made with their elected officials. I am sure that there are many more I have not received. To all of those who have stepped forward, contacted their legislators, or invited them to their meetings, I say thank you. There used to be an email, or link on the NARFE web site where NARFE wanted us to report contacts. I used it once and found it cumbersome. I cannot find it now but I am sure that they still want to know what we are doing. Here is a link into the advocacy department you can use to report your activities: https://www.narfe.org/home/contactus.cfm?email=advocacy@narfe.org&department=advocacy%20departmen t&ext=248 I would still like to be apprised of these contacts. The primaries were also a good time to establish yourself with the candidates for office. For example, on May 9, 2018 Chapter1465 hosted a Town Hall for of the people running for the new District 10 seat. All were invited, the incumbent sent in a statement and all of the others attended. It was very enlightening. There were over fifty people in the audience from many chapters. The NES (NARFE Email System) was used to advertise it and a Gmail account was used for RSVP s. The system worked very well and I highly recommend it for activities of this nature. Status of FY 2019 Budget. As of July 10, 2018 (the last data I could fine) the House has passed 4 out the 12 appropriations bills. The Senate has considered all of the appropriations bills only eight were reported out by July 10, The Senate has also considered the same three appropriations bills as the House. The Senate has not yet considered any other appropriations measures. I thought you would enjoy this. Copied from a U.S. Government website: NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 6 August 2018
Voucher Approval As of July 1 st, 2018, all vouchers for covered expenses will be approved by Federation President Larry Palecek. Email a copy of the voucher to Larry at larrypal1130@comcast.net and mail the signed voucher and receipts to PA Federation Treasurer James Brookes at: 5380 Joshua Rd, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 7 August 2018
As your chapter gets ready to decide what fundraiser(s) to have this coming Alzheimer s Champaign, it s very important you seriously consider it. There is so many ways and here are a few ideas. The Lebanon Valley #458 sells Wreath s Across America to be placed on the National Cemetery at Fort Indiantown Gap each December. This has been profitable and it s an honor to help lay them. If you do not have a national cemetery close to your chapter, it s still available for you to participate just to buy a wreath to be placed in memory of a loved one in any of the national cemeteries. Another idea is to contact a local restaurant who has a fundraising program and your chapter will get a percentage of sales. Hoss s and Pizza Hut are two of the companies that offer this program. You could have 50/50 drawings, bakeless bake sales and so many others. Just be creative. The reason I m writing this is to encourage your chapter to join in to help find a cure for Alzheimer s disease. We never know what our future is going to be, but all NARFE members so far have donated close to 13 Million dollars for research. Last year our Pennsylvania Federation donated $10,108.00. This money was donated by only 27 Pennsylvania chapters. Let s try to increase this amount by at least another thousand. For those chapters who did not participate, please help. Remember, it all goes to research and one day Alzheimer s disease may be eradicated. If you need any help or ideas on how to increase you amount, you can contact Dixie Gasper at 717-866-9237 or e-mail dixieg38@comcast.net. All fundraising checks get made payable to Alzheimer s Research and forward to Dixie Gasper. Personal donations do not get deposited into the chapter bank account, but should be mailed along with your chapter s donation. Chapter 0664 (Philadelphia Center Square) was chartered on April 7, 1958 and will formerly celebrate the Chapter s 60 th Anniversary during the Membership Meeting on Monday, September 10, 2018. Guest speaker will be Evelyn Kirby, Region II, Vice President. Many of our members recall that Evelyn was our guest speaker 5 years ago for the Chapter s 55 th Anniversary. The Chapter is looking forward to hearing from Evelyn regarding the status of NARFE after implementation of One Member One Vote and Optional Chapter Membership. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 8 August 2018
Legislative Activities Chapter 377 Chester County: Chester County Chapter 377 seem to be in the center of political activity. It is surrounded by West Chester, the county seat, Downingtown and Coatesville, the location of the VA Medical Center. The VAMC is the main source of its membership and meets about a mile from its main campus. It is also in the middle of the U.S. 6 th Congressional District where Ryan Costello, whose main office is in West Chester, is currently the representative. He will not be running in 2018. Representative Costello has been very open to NARFE events including welcoming chapter members for the past two legislative training sessions in Virginia. In addition, his office has always been open to scheduled visits to discuss NARFE issues. Unfortunately, his voting record reflects otherwise. Two new candidates, one a democrat, Chrissy Houlahan and the other Greg McCauley a republican, are competing for representative Costello s seat. Neither has run for elective office. The 6 th District has been a republican bastion for years but recently is leaning democratic. Ms. Houlahan seems to be the front runner for now. Mr.McCauley, doesn t seem to be as well know but still has three months to go before the election. This year Chester County women have grabbed the political reins. They have become involved in every aspect of electing our public officials. Many have decided to run for office even though they have never run for an elective office or run a campaign. With few exceptions, women have won most of the Row offices in the county and now are going after seats in the November general election. They are young, motivated, well qualified and supported. Chapter 377 has reached out to local, state and federal representatives in the past year and many have spoken at chapter meetings. Below is a list of candidates who have already secured elected positions or running in November. Candidates Chrissy Houlahan, Ryan Costello, Becky Corbin, Amber Little-Turner and Margaret Reif have spoken at chapter meetings. PA State Rep. Becky Corbin, Representing the 155th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives spoke at a Chapter 377 meeting. Danielle Friel Otten is running against the incumbent Becky Corbin. DVP William Staarman Chapter 377 met her while attending a zone committee meeting in Uwchlan Township, PA Katie Muth a Penn State graduate and a health care provider is running for state senate in the 44 th Legislative District. DVP William Staarman met her at a Zone committee meeting. November 21 st, 2017 Chrissy Houlahan running for the U.S. 6 th Congressional District spoke at a Chapter 377 Meeting. March 20 th,2018 Amber Little-Turner won primary race for Republican State Representative for the 74 th Legislative District, Coatesville/Downingtown, PA spoke at a Chapter 377 meeting. May 15 th, 2018 Margaret Reif, Chester County Controller spoke at a Chapter 377 meeting. June 13 th,2018 DVP William Staarman attended an open house party as a NARFE representative. Chrissy Houlahan and other candidates also attended. August 12 th, 2018 DVP Staarman attended a meet and greet picnic for new candidates running in the November election in Chester County, PA. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 9 August 2018
Bill Krouse was recently appointed as the Newsletter Editor and Webmaster for the NARFE PA Federation. He is a 15 year NARFE member and retired from the Mechanicsburg Naval Depot as an Information Technology Specialist. If there is something you want to see in the newsletter and/or website, let me know. My contact information is on the last page. NARFE PA Federation Service Center Eugene C. Clarke, Jr, Community Center, 235 South Third Street, Room B3 Chambersburg PA. (717) 264-6183 Open Thursdays 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM 2018-2020 NARFE PA Federation Officers left to right, Rich Zuck, 1st VP; John Staarman DVP; John Shutack, DVP; Virginia Giordano, Secretary; Larry Palecek, President; Phil Goldstein, 2nd VP; Betty Robertson, DVP, Jim Brookes, Treasurer; Ray Hain, DVP NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 10 August 2018
Federation Elected and Appointed Officers President 1st Vice President/Membership 2nd Vice President/Legislation Larry Palecek Richard Zuck Philip Goldstein 1893 New Germany Rd 10066 Martin Avenue 137 Reeser Road Ebensburg, PA 15931-5203 Lake City, PA 16423-1529 Camp Hill, PA 17011-1922 H-814 472-9065 H-814-774-4129 717-763-0353(H) C-814 472-9065 C-814-323-0037 717 978-6922 larrypal1130@comcast.net rich09rich@juno.com narfepafedphilg@prgtag.net Secretary Treasurer DVP-1 Virginia Giordano James Brookes Betty Robinson 1324 Georgetown Circle 5380 Joshua Road 424 424 Tulpehocken Avenue Carlisle, PA 17013-3578 Mechanicsburg, PA 17050-7222 Elkins Park, PA 19027-1641 717-243-3673 717-737-9850(H) 717-580-9140(C) 215-884-0564 virginia.giordano@comcast.net pafedtreasurer@gmail.com phillybetty@gmail.com DVP-2 DVP-3 DVP-4 William Staarman John Shutack Raymond Hain 307 Benning Lane 421 Larchmont Way 10 Circle Drive Downingtown, PA 19335-1745 Mountaintop, PA 18707-2050 Carlisle, PA 17015-8895 610-269-4866 570-678-7634 717-249-3906 wjstaarman@outlook.com shutackj@yahoo.com hain81914@aol.com DVP-6 CDL CDL Joseph Saber Phyllis Reinhardt Lawrence Curran 4417 Koehler Road 830 Wheeler Avenue 360 Jodie Lane Erie, PA 16510-3927 Scranton, PA 18510-1419 Irwin, PA 15642-1830 814-825-6123 570-342-2941 724-863-8556 windswept100@aol.com pcr70@comcast.net lcgolfpro@aol.com CDL Immediate Past President Alzheimer Chairperson Richard Zuck George Shal Dixie Gasper 10066 Martin Ave 1410 Cortez Rd 1300 East Kercher Ave, Lot 80 Lake City, PA 16423-1529 Blue Bell, PA 19422-3670 Myerstown, PA 17067-2907 814-774-4129 610-272-0518 717-866-9237 rzuck@neo.rr..com geoshal@gmail.com dixieg38@comcast.net Editor & Webmaster NARFE/PAC FEAA Coordinator William Krouse Richard Karakantas Beverly Peters 106 Bunker Hill Road 472 Primrose Drive 1103 Westgate Drive New Cumberland, PA 17070-2533 Lansdale, PA 19446-7625 Chambersburg, PA 17201-2979 717-774-4031 215-699-8399 717-263-5553 billkrouse38@gmail.com rkirsman@msn.com bgpeters@centurylink.net NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 11 August 2018
Vote For NARFE National President Please take this opportunity to exercise one of the most important responsibilities of your NARFE membership and vote in the 2018 NARFE elections. Because the presidential election in June did not yield a majority for any candidate, NARFE is conducting a runoff election. NARFE is offering members the opportunity to cast a vote online or in print (using a print ballot included with the September issue of NARFE Magazine). Please choose the voting format that is most convenient for you. Your ballot contains a list of the three presidential candidates who have chosen to continue in the runoff election. Please mark them in order of your preference 1 st choice, 2 nd choice, and 3 rd choice. Mark one and only one choice per candidate. Boost the PA Federation s 5% ballot return Let s boost the amount of returns from the PA Federation by asking members in your chapter newsletter or post card to bring their September NARFE magazine to the September meeting. Take some time to have the members fill out the ballot if they haven t already voted. Provide a stamp and ask members to mail the ballot immediately. It must reach NARFE by midnight September 30 th. NARFE PA Federation Newsletter P a g e 12 August 2018