In November, IMRF annuitants (individuals receiving an IMRF pension) will elect one Annuitant Trustee for a five-year term. The five-year term of office will run from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
Download all the materials you need to run for Annuitant Trustee in the right sidebar.
Responsibilities of a Trustee
Each Trustee is a fiduciary responsible for the governance and oversight of IMRF. Trustees are required to act solely for the benefit of IMRF members and beneficiaries. Trustees delegate duties to other professionals such as investment managers but retain oversight responsibilities.
Although all Board members must fulfill their fiduciary duties as stewards of IMRF assets, committee chairs and members are expected to develop a greater in-depth knowledge of the Committee they serve.
Commitment of IMRF Trustees
Board meetings are held one day each month. Some Board committees also meet monthly; others meet less frequently or as needed. Trustees serve without compensation but are reimbursed for expenses incurred while attending meetings.
Nominating Procedures—Petitions
Candidates for the position of Annuitant Trustee must submit nominating petitions signed by at least 100 IMRF annuitants. (This petition may be duplicated and allows annuitants to fax or mail it to other annuitants). Persons receiving an IMRF annuity (pension) in July 2020 are eligible to sign a candidate's petition. IMRF will verify signatures on the nominating petitions.
Once IMRF verifies that a candidate has submitted 100 valid petitions, we will advise the candidate that he or she does not need to submit any additional petitions.
Petitions for Annuitant Trustee candidates will be accepted in the IMRF Oak Brook and Springfield offices between August 1, 2020, and the close of business at 4:30 PM, September 15, 2020.
Email scans of your signed petitions to IMRFTrusteeElection@imrf.org. If you prefer, you can mail or fax (630-706-4656) the completed petitions to IMRF, ATTN: IMRF Trustee Petitions.
If you scan the petitions and email them to IMRF or if you fax the petitions to IMRF, please call IMRF at 1-800-ASK-IMRF (275-4673) to confirm that they were received.
Petitions postmarked on or before September 15, 2020, but received after that date will not be accepted. On September 17, 2020, letters will be sent to all candidates who submitted nominating petitions informing them whether they will be on the ballot. Annuitant Trustee candidates will also be provided the names of the other candidates.
Qualifications
Any IMRF annuitant receiving an IMRF annuity (pension) in January 2021 and who files petitions signed by at least 100 eligible annuitants is eligible to be a candidate.
Annuitant Trustee Ballots
The third quarter Fundamentals newsletter, which will contain candidates’ biographies, will be mailed with the ballot for the Annuitant Trustee election. The newsletters and ballots will be mailed to annuitants’ homes on October 30, 2020. The voted ballots must be returned by the close of business at 4:30 PM, December 4, 2020.
New Trustee Orientation
It is critical for the sound governance of IMRF that Trustees be fully informed with regard to IMRF’s nature, purposes, structure, operational systems and processes. To that end, the newly elected Trustee will participate in an in-depth New Trustee Orientation Program designed to fully inform him or her of IMRF’s key functions and his or her responsibilities as Trustee. The Program is more fully described in the IMRF Board Candidate Packet.
The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requires individuals serving as IMRF Trustees to file a written statement of economic interest annually.
Annuitant Trustee Forms