President’s Message:

Greetings all you CLCAA members and prospective members:

My hope for CLCAA is to have it become a force of influence for those of us who have retired and those of us who are about to retire.

The only way we can do this is to become active in supporting issues that will benefit us and to voice our displeasure when our legislators endorse bills that impinge upon our well-being.  To this end, we have an ally in the new SUAA effort, SUAACTION, effectively a PAC.  Donations to this effort will be put to good use; Jim Beaudoin can receive checks made out to SUAACTION.

We can be effective with the help of our website, more specifically our webmaster, Brian Melchiorre, by your referring to it often and acting to write your legislators.  I will help by making certain that the latest info is contained in "FLASH," the clickable button at the top of the "History" screen.

I also hope that with all the talent we possess as a group that we will find a way to contribute our skills to those needing it in the county.  Perhaps, we should adopt a school and help with tutoring of all kinds?  Perhaps, as Marv Johnson has suggested, we should apply for a grant that will offset efforts to tutor math, and perhaps English and reading at the elementary level, through the College or elsewhere.  I hope we can open a dialogue to discuss these and other suggestions and direct our energies toward making a difference.

Discussion, questions, and/or problems...please call or e-mail me, and make plans to attend our August 3rd Legislative Breakfast.


-Nancy W. Cook.

Past President’s Message:

I am very proud to have served as President of CLCAA for the past five years; I feel after all that time we’re ready for new leadership and ideas.  I am confident that Nancy with our Executive Board will provide exactly that kind of effective leadership and vision.  I am especially proud of our many accomplishments during my tenure, such as our exponential increase in membership, the establishment of an annual Legislators Breakfast, regular communication with our members via newsletters at least four times a year, frequent e-mails to officers to keep them immediately updated about important current matters, etc.  

Since I want CLCAA to grow even more, I feel bold enough to suggest my ideas to foster this growth.  (1) appoint a Membership Chair to increase our numbers from a potential pool of CLC staff retirees in 2007; current members who need to renew;  specific annuitants who were one-time members or who have never joined us; and finally, current CLC staff thru the chairs of the various College Senates and especially, the CLCFT-pac oeganization.  (2) encourage Mike Corn to vigorously work to get our members active with both of their elected legislators: their state senator and state representative; (3) appoint a Communications/Social Chair whose responsibility is to keep members efficiently informed of important state affairs by whatever means (electronic and otherwise) at  his/her disposal, as well as encourage more members to join.

-Frank Nickels.