To the Editor;

Shamefully, Treasurer Diossa has refused to change the location of the meeting of his “Advisory Working Group.”  A number of State retirees asked that the meeting of this Group scheduled for November 2, 2023 be moved from the State House to a more accessible location with ample parking.  Many elderly retirees have difficulty traveling to Providence, particularly when the dearth of parking near the State House means a long walk. 

Apparently, no individual (including myself) who wrote to him as to this concern received a response:  the meeting location was not changed.  Clearly,  Mr. Diossa does not care that elderly retirees have difficulty walking. 

Another problem is the constitution of the group.  The persons on this panel are all high-income financial types who deal with issues from the management point of view.  Although well-qualified retirees volunteered to be on this panel, the member who is a former State employee, Mr. Almonte, is also a management person.  This panel will only look at the fiscal performance of the State retirement fund; it will not consider that the State since 2011 has chosen to use the funds saved from the abolished COLAs to fund other pet projects of the incumbent administration.  No member on that panel can relate to the devastating financial struggles that individual retirees have had, and continue to have, with their reduced pensions. 

John Breguet

Smithfield