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 Arnold, who has given tens of millions of dollars to politicians
and groups backing reforms of public pension plans in over a dozen
states since 2008, is viewed by some labor unions as an enemy out to
destroy their members’ promised retirement benefits, something
Arnold fiercely denies. He says he wants to find long term
structural solutions, fair to all parties, to bring fiscal sanity to
public pensions.
His $1.3 billion philanthropic organization solicited bids for a
national pension reform campaign of public relations with an April
launch date, according to a Request for Proposals document dated
September 19, 2014 that has been reviewed by Reuters.
Arnold has bankrolled pension reform efforts in many individual
states in recent years, with mixed success. He has repeatedly said
he views the underfunding of many public pension systems as a major
fiscal and public policy crisis that needs addressing.
 Neither he nor anybody else has previously launched a national
publicity campaign aimed at convincing voters of the need to curb
the growing costs of public pensions, which threaten to cripple
budgets in many cities and states.
BANKRUPTCIES
According to a September report by the ratings agency Moody's, the
funding shortfall for the 25 largest U.S. public pension funds is $2
trillion. Growing costs were significant factors in the recent
bankruptcies of Detroit and the California cities of Stockton and
San Bernardino.
Officials at the Houston-based Laura and John Arnold Foundation
(LJAF) declined to answer questions about whether a national
campaign was being launched or whether a PR firm had been engaged.
Reuters could not independently verify if a campaign is proceeding
and if a firm has been hired.
Arnold himself could not be reached for comment.
Leila Walsh, director of communications for the foundation, when
asked about the bid document, said: "The Laura and John Arnold
Foundation is committed to ensuring that all public workers have a
fair and secure retirement. Cities and states across the U.S. are
facing a looming pension crisis that is threatening critical
investments in education and public safety. People on both the left
and right have recognized the urgent need for reform, and we are
interested in working with all those who are pursuing reforms that
are comprehensive, sustainable, and fair."
The request for proposals seeks a firm to launch a one-year
publicity campaign beginning this month.
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"We believe that all workers deserve to be part of a system that is
fiscally sound, responsibly managed, and that ensures retirement
benefits will be paid when due," said the document. "The purpose of
this (request) is to solicit proposals from qualified public affairs
and communications firms to support LJAF’s pension system reform
efforts."
According to the document, the campaign would involve market
research, polling and focus groups to test views about public
pensions, the development of a bipartisan coalition of groups and
individuals seeking pension reform, and the execution of a
multi-faceted national communications campaign. It gave no
indication of how much money Arnold planned to spend on the
campaign.
Arnold has become the dominant figure funding pension reform efforts
in recent years, bankrolling ballot initiatives and groups in 25
jurisdictions that largely sought to cut pension benefits.
Arnold was a trader at Enron, the defunct energy company, before
going on to make an estimated $3 billion running Centaurus, a
Houston-based natural gas trading hedge fund. In 2012 he turned
full-time to running the philanthropic foundation with his wife
Laura. Its goals are to improve outcomes for criminal justice,
education, public accountability and research integrity.
Arnold and his wife donated to President Obama's presidential
campaigns, and have given significantly more to Democratic political
groups than Republican.
(Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Martin Howell)
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