From: David Kratz Mathies [dkratzm@bu.edu] Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 12:39 PM To: rule-comments@sec.gov Subject: shareholder democracy (s7-10-03) Dear Mr. Katz, I want to support the recent letter sent by the AFL-CIO concerning shareholder democracy. Current elections of boards of directors lack competition because minority shareholders are unable to nominate members for election. As we have seen in recent years, corporate oversight by boards of directors is vital to maintaining the integrity of the corporation for the benefit of all stakeholders: the management, the shareholders, the employees, and the customers. The self-service borrow and plunder option should no longer be open to CEOs and upper management who view companies as their own personal empires. Real oversight by boards of directors who have been considered by all shareholders, rather than merely rubberstamping the only option available, is vital to corporate stability and ethics. Please consider this and the very well-considered proposals made by the AFL-CIO. Sincerely, David Kratz Mathies 44 Acorn St., #3 Malden, MA 02148-7624