(Section 55 of Chapter 176 of the Acts of 2011)

With the enactment of Section 55 of Chapter 176 of the Acts of 2011, the law requires that we send this notification to individuals who retired prior to May 17, 2004, and chose Option A or C. As you will note from the attached copy of Section 55 of Chapter 176, this new law will permit specific retirees the ability to change his or her option to Option C in certain, limited circumstances involving same sex couples. A qualifying retiree has a very small window in which to elect this option change, so retirees who are eligible for this benefit must act quickly by notifying the retirement board that you wish to change your option selection.

 

It is with great pleasure that we can welcome an addition to our retirement board, Gerald "Gerry" Coughlin. Mr. Coughlin has been a resident of Plymouth for the past 40 years, and has raised his family of 4 children here in our public school system. Gerry comes to this board with a wealth of experience and knowledge in the public retirement community.

Mr. Coughlin is a retiree of the Mass. Turnpike Authority Employee's Retirement System, where he was the director of that system from 1978 to 1996. After retiring, Gerry served as an elected board member from 2001 to 2009. His knowledge of Chapter 32 and the implementation of its laws will be instrumental in ensuring that the Plymouth Retirement System continues on the path of excellence. Because there will be no "training period", with his addition, we as a board are confident that the Town of Plymouth Retirement System will continue to perform at its best for its membership and fund.

Selectman David Malaguti has been selected by the Board of Selectmen to be their appointed member on the Plymouth Retirement Board.  Mr. Malaguti will replace John Murphy, Jr., who passed away in December.

The Plymouth Retirement Board is saddened to announce the loss of John E. Murphy, Jr., member of the Town of Plymouth Retirement Board, appointed by the Town of Plymouth Board of Selectmen Mr. Murphy passed away on Thursday, December 31, 2009.  He served on the Town of Plymouth Retirement Board for 15 years, and was a member of the Massachusetts Association for Contributory Retirement Systems for 45 years, holding several elected offices, most recently as Conference Planner.  He will be greatly missed in the retirement community for his experience, knowledge and dedication.