Pension Election

Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund Trustee Election 

Maria Rodriguez

The voting for new Chicago Teacher Pension Fund Trustees is October 18 - November 5, 2021. There will be two new active teacher Trustees elected and seven candidates vying for three retired teacher Trustees. 

Second City Teachers takes a closer look at who is running.

Maria J. Rodriguez is the only Independent running for retired teacher Trustee. Rodriguez has a proven record of fighting for the members and protecting the Pension Fund’s assets for 16 years, according to her candidacy statement. In 2003 she was sued by the leadership of the Chicago Teachers Union for being a whistle blower of a merger between CTPF and TRS. She was the president of the Pension Fund at the time. Despite the political backlash that awaited her she alerted and mobilized the membership to stop the merger. Eventually the lawsuit was thrown out of court as a “frivolous lawsuit” by the judge. CPS has not made an attempt to merge CTPF since. Rodriguez asks a lot of questions at the pension board meetings and has been perceived as a disturbance by some Board of Trustees, and employees of the Fund. A year ago, Maria J. Rodriguez requested the First forensic audit of the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. 

CORE is the current caucus of the Chicago Teachers Union leadership. Their three retiree candidates represent a diverse slate, which also includes a male candidate. 

Mary Sharon Reilly

Mary Sharon Reilly has 25 years of experience on the Board and is the current VP and Lois Nelson has almost 8 years of experience and had earlier served as VP of the fund as well as financial secretary, and chair of personnel and finance & audit. Lawrence Milkowski is a first time trustee candidate, who is a registered professional tax preparer since 2006. Both Reilly and Lois Nelson have served on many committees as well as chaired many committees during their tenure. Reilly, served as president of the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund for 11 years, during her tenure as an active teacher. 

Lois Nelson

Core is also endorsing two active Teacher Trustees, candidates, Tammy Vinson and Quentin S. Washington. Both would be newcomers to the Board of Trustees. Vinson has been an educator for over 20 years with the Chicago Public Schools. She currently teaches Early Childhood Special Education. Vinson has a strong background of activism in her school and community. Quentin S. Washington is a Chicago Public School educator. He has taught music in both elementary and high school settings and has also taught theatre classes to his students. Washington served as a trustee for the Chicago Teachers Union. He is the founder of Stuart Quinn Realty LLC and a member of the National Realtor Association. 

Gervaise Clay and James Cavallero are not running for reelection in the active teacher election, so there will be 2 new active teacher trustees elected to the Chicago Teachers Board of Trustees on November 5, 2021.

Therese Boyle

Members First who is the opposition of the Chicago Teachers Union caucus is running a slate of three non-minority women for the three seats of pensioner trustees. 

Therese Boyle ran in 2019 for president of the Chicago Teachers Union against Jesse Sharkey and lost the election. Boyle worked as an educator for a few years before becoming a school psychologist for CPS until retirement. She has an undergraduate degree in finance and a minor in economics and currently serves on the board of directors of her credit union.

Reggie O’Connor was an active Core member and later decided to become a Members First member. She was a CPS elementary school educator for 20 years before retiring and an active member of the Chicago Teachers Union. Kathleen Cleary Powers was a General Education and Special Education teacher of 38 years before retiring. She is currently a substitute teacher for CPS. Cleary Powers is also the Admin for the Members First website, which has blocked Core members since the retiree election kicked off. Core has also blocked any people who disagree with them.

Kathleen Cleary Powers

Victor Ochoa who was once a United Progressive Caucus (UPC) member, and now Members First, ran under Therese Boyle’s ticket as an officer and lost to Core as well. His candidacy statement for active teacher pension trustee emphasizes his struggles as a man of color. When asked by Second City Teachers what he thought of the CTPF decision to censure the three female trustees of color, he said it was a group decision and refused to comment further.

Karyn L. Aguirre, a 17 year social worker, is a woman of color who details her leadership accomplishments with CPS and her previous professional experience before being employed with CPS. 

Cleary Powers states in her candidacy statement that she does not believe it is in the best interest of the CTPF to have pension trustees’ who owe an allegiance to any outside interest or group. Boyle, Cleary Powers, O’Connor, Ochoa and Aguirre are all endorsed by Members First. 

Phil Weiss ran for pension trustee on the Members First ticket last fall and was elected. Since his election last November, Weiss has been involved in controversial votes which included supporting Jeffery Blackwell for re-election as pension board president, despite Members First animosity toward Core and Blackwell. Weiss replaced Tina Padilla as Investment Chairperson. Padilla was the chairperson for nine years when Weiss came in as a new Trustee. At the May 2021 Board Meeting Weiss read censures and a reprimand for four female trustees of which three were woman of color. An action which Members First has touted as their campaign platform. “It is time for a change!”, “Time for new faces on the pension Board”.