Fixing Our Fundamentals Benefits Us All

In October, the Rhode Island Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees paid for and released a report by Ted Siedle. The contents of the report contained nothing new, as evidenced by an earlier collection of the author’s blog posts on Forbes.com.

We should see this report for what it is – a political attack that is only interested in discrediting me and undermining pension reform.

Contrary to the author’s narrative, I did not enter public office to enrich myself. My job is to stand up for all Rhode Islanders. Politics as usual, including attacks like this, are getting us nowhere fast. Rhode Island is struggling.

In 2011, Rhode Island was facing a pension crisis. Prior to the passage of the Rhode Island Retirement Security Act in 2011, the state-administered pension fund had an unfunded liability of $7 billion and was 48 percent funded. Reform reduced this liability by $3 billion, making it possible to tell every public employee and retiree their pension checks will be there when they need them.

Although the decisions the state made were difficult and the reforms have significantly strengthened the system, the fund still pays out more in benefits than it receives every year in contributions. This reality means we have to use different ways to reduce risk, even more so than other pension funds. We have to balance our long‐term obligations and our shorter‐term cash flow requirements when building the investment portfolio. The system is still recovering from the 2008-2009 market crash, when it lost $2.1 billion.

In order to have the money needed to pay pensions, the system needs to earn an investment rate of 7.5 percent after all fees are paid. The State Investment Commission is pursuing a strategy of diversification and risk reduction, which we believe will be the best way to reach the state’s investment goal of 7.5 percent over time.  The return last fiscal year was 11.1 percent after all fees were paid. The three-year return was 10.43 percent after all fees were paid.

Unlike the tactics being used by those financing this report, pension reform has never been about “us vs. them.” It’s about ensuring that no public employee or retiree faces losing half their pensions like Central Falls retirees experienced, and that the state can continue to invest in the education, roads, libraries, and public transportation to get the Rhode Island economy back on track.

It is also important to note that the Rhode Island pension system has been investing in alternatives since 1982. Over the past two years, our state has become a national leader for transparency regarding investments and fees.

Our investment fees, along with data and minutes from every State Investment Commission meeting since June 2008, are listed on the Treasury’s website as part of the state’s first ever Investor Relations Portal developed by this administration.