Retirement Security
February 04, 2020
Retiree Convention Held
The Dallas and Houston TARA chapters meet this week. If you live in these areas, you have received a separate email about the meetings.
TARA Holds Biennial Convention
The Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, led by President Tony Padilla, held its Biennial Convention at the Becky Moeller Auditorium of the Texas AFL-CIO. Field Organizer Judy Bryant asked members to observe a moment of silence in memory of three TARA leaders: Glenn Scott, Cleaburn Zwernemanm “Zee” and Billy Robinson, who passed away since the last convention. Golden Triangle TARA President Rev. Harmon Dent opened the meeting with prayer. President Padilla introduced Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Rich Fiesta who shared with members the importance of the 2020 Elections and the issues which retirees will face. These include attacks on Social Security and Medicare, passage by the US Senate of House Bill 3 to lower drug costs, and continued attacks on pensions.
Tony Padilla gave the President’s report and thanked members for all their work, plus stressed the importance of TARA participation in the elections, while Field Organizer Bryant shared the procedure for completing Candidate Surveys and recommending endorsements. TARA Treasurer Teresa-Perez Wiseley was in charge of delicious food choices for lunch, which was followed by informative panels. Austin TARA activists and Census Ambassadors Jan Lance and Chris Cruz joined Coastal Bend activist Elaine Jones who shared important information about the US Census plus county and senior participation in the Census. TARA Secretary Gene Lantz led a panel of chapter presidents who shared ways to increase and activate our membership. Convention participants chimed in to tell ways their chapters do this. Panelists were Past Austin President Jack McCabe, Fort Worth President Jim Rivers and Golden Triangle President Harmon Dent. Louis Malfaro, Health Care Justice Organizer with the Debs Jones Douglass Institute, presented a brief summary of Medicare for All plans and why this is so important. The ARA officers were all re-elected for the biennium and were joined by local chapter officers for the official swearing in ceremony conducted by ARA Executive Director Rich Fiesta.