Ron Baker to get a year’s salary as severance

Former head of Colorado’s public pension system was fired May 1

BY JESSE PAUL THE COLORADO SUN

e red head of Colorado’s $60 billion-plus public pension system will receive a year’s salary — more than $400,000 — as severance, under his contract and because of the way his employment was terminated.

Ron Baker was red May 1 by the 16-member Public Employees’ Retirement Association board nearly two months after he went on a leave of absence.

Neither the board nor PERA has disclosed why Baker was red, and Colorado Sun attempts over the past several months to contact Baker have been unsuccessful. Emails, texts and voicemail messages to Baker from e Sun, including for this story, were not returned.

Baker will get $412,108.80 in severance because the board terminated his contract without cause. Had he been red for cause, he wouldn’t have been eligible to collect the severance.

Baker’s contract says he could only be red for cause if there was a breach of his employment agreement, for gross negligence, or if he had committed or pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony criminal charge. e contract says he could