Board Election Results
Board Election Results
PERA Board welcomes new board trustees
The PERA Board welcomed one new trustee, Dennis Flaherty, along with four returning trustees, Paul Bourgeois, Thomas Stanley, Thomas Rupp, active General and Correctional Plan representatives; and Paul Ford, Police & Fire representative.
Yes Election, the election vendor, certified the board election results. The Board voted to accept the certified results during their meeting on February 16.
Dennis Flaherty, elected to represent Retired, Disabled and Survivor members, grew up in Saint Paul and began his career as a police officer in the City of Brooklyn Center in 1974. He became the Executive Director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) in 1986 and later left the Executive Director position to become Deputy Mayor of the City of Saint Paul in 2002. Dennis returned to his role as Executive Director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association in 2008. Dennis has been an advocate for law enforcement officers in Minnesota and an ambassador for Minnesota’s law enforcement community to all Minnesotans.
Paul Bourgeois, active General and Correctional Plan representative, first elected in February 2011. Paul is the Executive Director of Finance & Operations for Minnetonka Independent School District 276. His experience in running financial operations for several organizations, benefits his ability to make decisions regarding PERA’s financial status and commitment to long-term sustainability.
Thomas Stanley, active General and Correctional Plan representative, first appointed to fill a vacant board seat in March 2013. Tom is a senior attorney with the St. Louis County Attorney’s office since 2003. He has served as president of AFSCME Local 3761, director for Grandma’s Marathon, former president of the 11th District Bar Association, and serves on numerous non-profit and community boards. Tom brings experience, dedication, integrity, and depth and breadth of knowledge to the PERA Board as a trustee. Tom has served as the president since 2019.
Thomas Rupp, active General and Correctional Plan representative, was first elected in February 2019. Thomas is a Senior Financial Management Analyst at Hennepin County. He was introduced to public pensions by his grandmother who received pensions from TRA and PERA for nearly 20 years. He brings an openness to change, the ability to consider all perspectives, and communication skills to his role as a trustee. Thomas has served as the vice president since 2021.
Paul Ford, Police & Fire representative, first appointed to fill a vacant Board seat in August 2017. Paul is a Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Division, of the Saint Paul Police Department. He also served on the board of the St. Paul Police Federation and as a board member and President of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA). During this time, Ford worked with other organizations and stakeholders to maintain and strengthen PERA’s pension plans.
We would like to thank all of our candidates and voters for their participation in the voting process.
To learn more, visit our Board of Trustees page.