HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-04-29-RB-min Minutes of the April 29, 2021 Retirement Board meeting:
Present: Robert Cunha,Joseph Foley,Alan Fields, Frederick Weiss, Carolyn Kosnoff, Marguerite Oliva
and Jim Condon
Absent: None
NEW MEMBERS: (4) Sarina Choun, Constance Langlois, Student Support Instrs.; John Zaccardi,
Highway Superintendent; Brendan Sweitzer, Dispatcher
RETIREMENTS: (1) Mark Corr,Police Chief, 04/19/2021
DEATHS: (2) Mark Freitas, LPS Custodian, 03/27/2021 (active member); Theresa Leslie, Secretary,
04/05/2021
The Lexington Retirement Board met remotely through Zoom tele-conferencing during the Covid-19
Pandemic. The Town Clerks Office posted the meeting,which included the information for any
interested party to join the call. All Board members were present for this meeting. Chairman Robert
Cunha called the meeting to order at 8:30 am.
The Board accepted the 043021 Warrant and the April payroll. The March minutes and February
financials were reviewed and approved.
Robert Cunha reviewed the April agenda with all Board members and staff in attendance. It was noted
the Board received a call notice from Angelo Gordon in the amount of$325,000.00 on 04/06/21.
There is no update to report on the matter of Robert Magarian. The Retirement Board will continue to
garnish Mr. Magarian's pension payments until further notice.
The Board members were advised to review PERAC memo#14 regarding 2nd qtr. 2021 Board training.
All courses remain offered online due to the ongoing Pandemic.
Henry Jaung presented the Meketa portfolio update. He began with an update on the Private Debt
Equity search. With the assistance of Tim Atkinson, both reviewed the three (3) highly advantageous
candidates, as well as one (1) advantageous candidate. The three highly advantageous were Ares
Capital, Golub Capital, and Monroe Capitol,while the sole advantageous candidate was Barings. All of
the named candidates are back by private equity sponsors and try to max out around 6 years from an
inception date. Monroe also deals in non-sponsorships. Robert Cunha made a motion to interview the
following candidates at the May 27, 2021 Retirement Board meeting;Ares, Golub, and Monroe. This
motion was seconded by Fred Weiss, and unanimously approved by Joe Foley, Carolyn Kosnoff, and Alan
Fields. The vote was 5-0 to conduct the interviews. Henry Jaung continued with the performance
review. The portfolio balance as of March 31, 2021 is $212,800,306.00, up $3.5 from the prior month.
The market is on the rebound. All asset classes are performing well through Q1. Domestic equities
continue to rise, and International equities are starting to show an uptick in gains. Overall,the portfolio
is in great position. No major changes right now. Cash balance remains high at$21.1. Future meetings
will have discussions regarding a possible acquisition to lower the balance. Henry concluded his
presentation at 8:55 am.
Mike Hickey from Fidelity Contrafund began his presentation at 9:00 am. He began with a brief
background of Fidelity and what investment philosophy represents. The firm prides itself on strong
fundamental research when it comes to identifying which companies are poised for durable multiyear
earnings growth. He explained that 2020 was not such a bad year investing. They managed to finish up
14%over the S&P, net of fees. Fidelity did not make many changes last year during the Pandemic. Once
the vaccine was announced, profits began to rise heading into winter. Currently,the Information
Technology and Communications sectors are peaking heading into Qtr. 2 of this year. Some top
contributors include Apple, Facebook and Alphabet. He concluded by stating Fidelity currently is holding
$131.8b in net assets,which are spread out over 367 holdings. His presentation concluded at 9:20 am.
Denise D'Entremont from RhumbLine Advisers presented the review at 9:30 am. The firm currently
holds$86.Ob in Assets Under Management. The major asset classes include Domestic Equity, Domestic
Fixed Income, and International Equity. Client base is over 180 companies,with hundreds of account to
manage. Stock holdings are just over 1,000. As of 4/28/2021, the portfolio was up 5.95%. Lexington is
up 8% in this strategy. RhumbLine has been able to provide return rate of 14%yearly on average.
Denise broke down and explained some of the fifteen (15) different strategies the firm is engaged in as
of this meeting. S&P 500 is the highest of the grouping. She concluded the review by stating there
doesn't appear to be any major changes in the portfolio structure coming soon. RhumbLine plans to
stand firm for right now while the market is stable. Her review wrapped at 9.50 am.
Fossil Fuel has dropped from 2.6%to 2.4%as of 3/31/2021. It was noted that Fossil Fuels were at 4.5%
five (5)years ago.
Robert Cunha motioned to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 am,which was seconded by Alan Fields, and
unanimously approved by Fred Weiss,Joe Foley, and Carolyn Kosnoff.
The next Retirement Board meeting will be held via Zoom on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 8:30 am.
Robert Cunha, Chairman Alan Fields, Appointed Member
Carolyn Kosnoff, Ex Officio Member Joseph Foley, Elected Member
Frederick Weiss, Appointed Member