November 23, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Paraguay: Politics: City Government: Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Murphy calls his pension planning 'bittersweet'
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November 23, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Paraguay: Politics: City Government: Pittsburgh Post Gazette: Murphy calls his pension planning 'bittersweet'
Murphy calls his pension planning 'bittersweet'
Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy said he felt "pretty strange" yesterday walking into the pension office and filling out the forms necessary to collect his retirement benefits. Thomas Murphy, Jr., Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh, PA , served as a Peace Corps Volunteers in Paraguay in the 1970's.
Murphy calls his pension planning 'bittersweet'
Murphy calls his pension planning 'bittersweet'
Will get total $3,400 a month for service as mayor, state rep
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy said he felt "pretty strange" yesterday walking into the pension office and filling out the forms necessary to collect his retirement benefits.
Mayor Tom Murphy
Like many workers, Mr. Murphy said he had "no idea" what his pension payment would be.
It turns out the man who has personified city government's triumphs and struggles for a dozen years is entitled to a monthly pension payment of around $2,300, based on his age of 60 and his salary of $94,157.
The mayor also is entitled to a state pension for the 14 years he spent in the House. The State Employee Retirement System would not immediately release information on his pension, but based on the formula outlined in its employee handbook, the former representative's payment would be around $1,100 a month.
He also would be eligible for health insurance through the state.
"It's a bittersweet moment," Mr. Murphy said of his application. "I'm happy to be moving forward on something, but what I will miss will be the people here. We had a good team of people, and it feels bad seeing them all scatter."
Mr. Murphy wouldn't say what he intends to do after his term ends with the year.
When he took office in 1994, he inherited three pension funds -- for police, firefighters and other city workers -- that were near insolvency.
he city has issued reports indicating that in 1994 the funds contained only 13 percent of the money needed to pay likely future benefits.
Had the funds run out, pension obligations could have crippled the city's operating budget.
The city borrowed $300 million in the late 1990s to invest in an effort to shore up the funds. As of the end of last year, they contained $376 million -- still far less than the estimated $800 million in future costs.
Mr. Murphy's pension isn't completely guaranteed.
U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan has been investigating whether Mr. Murphy gave the firefighters union a favorable contract in return for that union's endorsement in 2001. If the mayor is ever convicted of a crime related to his official actions, both of his public pensions would cease.
He still would be entitled to the return of money he paid into the funds.
(Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542.)
When this story was posted in November 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
| Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now. |
| 'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here. |
| PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted. |
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Story Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Paraguay; Politics; City Government
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