GIC Commissioners

Richard Waring (NAGE), Vice Chair

Harris Berman, MD

Theron R. Bradley

Nonnie S. Burnes, Commissioner of Insurance
Designee, Suzanne Bailey

Stephen B. Chandler (Local 5000, S.E.I.U., NAGE)

David M. Cutler, health economist

John M. Enriquez

David Handy

Karen Hathaway (Council 93, AFSCME, AFL-CIO)

Richard J. Kelliher (Massachusetts Municipal Association)

Leslie A. Kirwan, Secretary of Administration and Finance
Designee, Mary Ann Bradley

Mark P. Kritzman

Anne M. Paulsen, retiree member

Paul F. Toner, (Massachusetts Teachers Association)

 Four New Commissioners Share Their Thoughts on
The Commission and The Municipal Partnership Act

The Municipal Partnership Act provided for new seats on the Group Insurance Commission. The new law, passed in July 2007, allows municipalities the option of obtaining health benefits for their employees and retirees through the GIC. In addition to two new public members, the Commission gained a municipal labor representative and a municipal management representative. The four new Commissioners have slightly different thoughts on the new law, but are in agreement about the GIC’s vision and expertise in tackling rising health care cost and improving quality.

Mark Kritzman, a new public member on the Commission, expressed his pleasure at the efficient way the Commission meetings are run. “The commissioners, staff, and other participants display a high level of professionalism and commitment,” he stated. As President and CEO of Windham Capital Management, LLC, Mr. Kritzman is well versed in the financial marketplace. He also serves as a Senior Partner of State Street Associates, teaches a financial engineering course at MIT’s Sloan School, and serves on a number of boards. He expressed hope that most municipalities will take advantage of the opportunity to offer their employees GIC health coverage. “I suspect the GIC is in a much stronger position than individual municipalities to negotiate favorable terms with the health insurance industry; it would be great to see these beneficial terms extended to municipal employees,” he added.

New public member J. Mark Enriquez stated that the GIC is on the forefront of addressing the highly complex and politically volatile health care issues facing the public employees of the Commonwealth and the nation at large. As Chairman and Founder of Pulse Trading, an institutional brokerage firm, Mr. Enriquez has emphasized electronic trading and was previously the Director of Electronic Trading with State Street Global Markets. Like Mr. Kritzman, Mr. Enriquez thinks municipalities should strongly consider availing themselves of the GIC’s economies of scale. “Potential cost reductions, while expanding the coverage options for beneficiaries, can help mitigate the surging budget constraints facing our cities and towns,” he said.

Municipal Commissioner, Richard J. Kelliher, the Town Administrator of Brookline since 1994, finds that the Commission comes as advertised – strong leadership from the Executive Director and committed Commissioners. In his capacity in Brookline, and previous work as the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Newton and Associate Director at the Massachusetts Municipal Association, he has first hand knowledge of the challenges facing municipalities during today’s lean budget times. “The new law is potentially a very significant step in the right direction. It allows municipalities to offer their employees, retirees and families a range of coverages that very few, if any, communities can currently provide. Because the growth in the cost of GIC offerings has been on average lower than that experienced by local government, it also has the potential for tangible budgetary relief for municipal employers and employees alike.” Mr. Kelliher expressed concern with the collective bargaining requirements of the law and stated that this process is unfamiliar to most local governments and their unions. He stated that, given the fiscal pressures on local budgets, everyone involved should be provided with as much encouragement as possible.

As Vice President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Paul F. Toner looks forward to more cities and towns taking advantage of the opportunity to join the GIC where it is beneficial to its public employees and their municipalities. The MTA was one of the organizations that helped to develop the municipal GIC option. “I believe that this should continue to be an option that is negotiated and accepted by both the employees and employers and not simply a unilateral decision made by the municipal leaders,” he stated. Like the other new Commissioners, Mr. Toner was impressed by the professionalism of the members of the Commission and staff. “Dolores Mitchell and the other commissioners have the interests of enrolled members at the heart of their decision making and are focused on using what methods are available to provide high quality, efficient and affordable health care for state and municipal employees,” he said.

The GIC extends a warm welcome to our newest Commissioners!