Posted by Admin

It seems like there is always some new group attacking public pensions. When one group fades away, a new group pops up to take its place. One new group on the scene is called the Equable Institute. While the group may be new, the people behind it are not. Let’s introduce you to the organization’s cast of characters.

Staff

  • Anthony Randazzo – the Executive Director comes from the Reason Foundation and the so-called “Pension Integrity Project.” Randazzo has traveled around the country promoting harmful changes to public pensions.
  • Jonathan Moody – the Vice President for Research comes from Pew, where he was a research officer and worked on state fiscal policy issues.
  • Caryn Morgan – the Director of Partnerships has done previous stints at the Fordham Institute and the National Council on Teacher Quality, both of which are hostile to pensions for teachers.

Board

  • Dan Liljenquist – as we discussed in our blog post a couple weeks ago, this former, one-term Utah state senator pushed through damaging pension changes that have harmed public safety in the state.
  • Richard Ravitch – a former Lieutenant Governor of New York, he has long been a critic of public pensions.
  • Pete Constant – a former San Jose City Council member and fellow at the Reason Foundation, Constant worked with former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed to push through pension-gutting reforms that were ultimately overturned by voters after years of expensive legal fights.
  • Lois Scott – a veteran of the Rod Blagojevich and Rahm Emanuel administrations, she helped craft Mayor Emanuel’s budget which cut pensions for city employees in Chicago.
  • Josh McGee – the chairman of the Texas Pension Review Board and a fellow at the ultra-conservative Manhattan Institute. McGee is a well-known opponent of public pensions. McGee’s record of anti-pension writing and activism stands for itself.

The staff and board of the Equable Institute represent a true who’s who of anti-pension ideologues. Equable may promote itself as “bipartisan” and “collaborative”, but we know their real agenda is to gut pensions for hard-working public employees and retirees across the country. Be vigilant if Equable shows up and starts lobbying legislators in your state.