[Mpls] Police pensions...

[George Janssen]

    Where does mayoralty candidate McLaughlin get the idea that there is money to be had, a windfall if you will, by extending the Minneapolis Police Relief Association (MPRA) pension fund for 10 years beyond its lawful date of full amortization, 2010?  This windfall is merely the crunching of numbers by those attorneys and politicians who would profit by millions if the fund were extended. Even if the numbers were true and honest and not smoke and mirrors, any windfall must go to the pension fund to help defray the hundreds of millions of dollars which must be eventually paid by the Minneapolis taxpayer into the fund.   The use of a windfall for any other purpose by politicians is deceitful and self-serving    

    When the MPRA was criminally looted of nearly $10 million, where was County Commissioner Mclaughlin?   For that matter where was the County Attorney, the Hennepin County Sheriff, the Minneapolis police chief the Minneapolis legislators the mayor, the city council?  Where was any  politician!  Surrounding the wagons and protecting crooked cops, politicians, lawyers and law firms.     

    Mayor Ryback is not without fault either.  Just before his election, before the statute of limitations on those involved with the looting of the fund was reached, Mr.Ryback met with a contingent of Minneapolis active and retired police officers at the 5th precinct station and was given a packet of information and facts on the criminal removal of $9.6 million of pension/taxpayer money from the fund.  He promised to look into it but of course, as is true with most politicians, no more was heard from him on the matter. 

    This MPRA pension problem could be easily solved without loss of benefits to the retiree or widow and with a minimum of loss to the long suffering Minneapolis taxpayer.  It will not be solved as long as there is a dollar to be gained by parasite lawyers and politicians who have suckled at the teat of MPRA for decades and will not give it up.   

George Janssen
MPRA member &
Longfellow resident