Chairman
A few weeks ago, I decided to take on the task of installing a few extra LED lights into the garage at the family cabin. The job seemed simple enough, as I have done some wiring in the past. Everything seemed to be going well — until it wasn’t. Suddenly, I had no juice to the garage. It just didn’t make any sense at the time.
I worked and worked, backtracking and tracing. I just couldn’t figure it out. I decided to reach out to one of my former supervisors. He has quite a background in electricity-related matters.
We spoke on the phone as he tried to diagnose the problem based solely upon my verbal description. He offered me advice on where to start and what to look for. He volunteered to field another phone call, should I still need some help.
I followed his advice and, lo and behold, 15 minutes later I found the problem. It felt good to fix it and even better knowing how much money I saved by not having to call an electrician. I called him back to make a lunch date at the Sierra Nevada Brewery, my treat for him helping me out.
The following week we met for lunch. The first words out of his mouth were, “You aren’t buying me lunch.” I asked him what he was talking about. I reminded him that he had helped me out. That’s when he reminded me that he is now retired and collecting $5,200 per year as a retired participant in the PORAC Retiree Medical Trust. I felt a sense of satisfaction when he thanked me for starting our local trust many, many years ago. A trust that we merged into the RMT.
And so it goes. You plan ahead in order to make a good thing happen. Honestly, this really confirmed for me just exactly how beneficial the RMT can be to retirees. But it doesn’t happen on its own. Much like your pension, the longer you participate, the greater the benefit once you retire. It’s best to start your participation early in your career. But having said that, it is never too late to start.
In other good news, I am pleased to announce that the trustees have entered into a contractual agreement for consultant services with Tim Davis. If that name sounds familiar to you, I can easily understand why. Davis currently sits on our Board of Directors as the appointed trustee from PORAC. I’d like to share a bit more information with you about him.
Davis was born and raised in Sacramento. His father worked for Sacramento P.D. as a police officer. He has been married for 27 years. His wife is a nurse at Kaiser. They have five children and one granddaughter. Two of their children work for Sacramento P.D. — a son who is a police officer and a daughter who is a CSO.
Davis graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in history. He later attended the McGeorge School of Law, obtaining his jurisprudence. He has been a member of the bar since 2016.
Davis has been employed by Sacramento P.D. for 24 years. He has worked a variety of assignments. Most notably, in my opinion, is his work and dedication to his association. He has been on the SPOA board for 12 years. His seven-year tenure as president (longest serving for the POA) has resulted in three successfully negotiated MOUs. He is currently working on number four.
Davis held the position of PORAC treasurer for two years. He has been an RMT trustee for five years.
Having mentioned all of that, I think you can easily see why the RMT trustees have chosen Davis to lead the consultant side of our plan. He will be readily available when your association needs more information about the RMT. If you and your association already participate, he will be your go-to guy for answers to questions you might have. He will be able to assist you in the event your employer throws up roadblocks.
Well, that’s the good news. But like many things in life, there is a downside. With Davis’s new position comes the necessity for him to step down from the Board of Trustees. We will still see him at each and every quarterly meeting. Nonetheless, we will miss him sitting at our table. In the meantime, President Brian Marvel will select a replacement to sit with us on the RMT Board.
We are excited about the future of the RMT and Davis’s new position. Hopefully, he will help us generate thousands and thousands of feel-good experiences like the one I mentioned above. You know, when life is so good that you don’t really need someone to buy you a “free lunch.”
