PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Hello once again. I hope all of you are surviving this horrible scorcher of a summer. I know my electric bill did not survive. I’m truly looking forward to Fall…. Leaves changing, cooler temps, sweaters. Yep, I can just imagine it. I won’t prattle on cause there is a lot of information to impart. 

1. As many of our members are also FOP members, I bring up the topic of the upcoming FOP election. We need everyone to vote. 

The President and First Vice President should always be active BPD Officers, but any other offices should be a mix of retired and active officers. It’s imperative that the retired officer be represented, because that representation gives us a vote on important decisions. We do not want to be left out. 

We pay our dues, we have the right to vote and to have a voice in all matters, so please, vote in the upcoming election.

REELECT:

Paul Blair, 2nd VP

Edward Gorwell, 3rd VP

Lisa Riha, Secretary

Don Helms, Chaplain

Jerry Heid, Trustee

George Trainor, Trustee

Earl Kratsch, State Treasurer

John Nolan, Treasurer

ELECT:

Ellis (Ditty) Baldwin, Trustee

(Remember: It is very important that we make sure to vote for Paul Blair as 2nd VP. In the event that both Mike Mancuso and William MacDonald are out of town, the FOP needs someone with experience to run the lodge. Experience ensures that everything continues to run smoothly.) 

2. If you are an FOP member and you suspect that the FOP does not have your email address, please contact them or you will NOT get the FOP3 newsletter. If you do not have an email address, contact them by phone at 410-243-9141, M-F, 9:00-4:00 to make sure your information is up to date. (If you want to receive emails from the BRPBA or have changed your email address, please also contact us at BRPBAOffice@gmail.com)

For our widows, they will not get any perks from FOP3; not tags, newsletters, etc. We can work together and help our widows receive this information. 

3. The Baltimore Retired Police Benevolent Association (BRPBA) 2024 Election is November 20th, 2024. Officers up for reelection include the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms, one Trustee, and one Board of Governors. As of this writing, all incumbents are interested in maintaining their position and would be honored if you would reelect them. 

4.  As stated in the past, we are always looking for new members. A lot of our original members are passing away and our membership has dropped quite a bit. We remind you that we have a $50.00 Finders Fee gift that goes to any member who brings a new member on board. Our strength is in our numbers, so let’s work together to increase our membership.

5. Unfortunately, in June, we had to turn away a BPD retiree who wanted to join. After retiring, they were convicted of a felony and our By-Laws, Article III, 

Section 1, states that “…are eligible for membership in this association provided they have not been convicted of a felony or have any criminal charges pending.” We hated having to do that, but that’s the rules. 

6. Remember that our membership meetings will start up again on September 18th with a chance to catch up on summer news and events, time to eat some good food, and time to refresh relationships. Does anyone remember the song…. See You In September? (Great, now I’m singing it in my head. 

Take care everyone.

Daryl