[December 17, 2003]

"Messrs. Notebaert and Popoff received at least 90% approval from shareholders, but Mr. Anschutz received only 80%.

Institutional Shareholder Services recently recommended that Qwest shareholders vote against returning Mr. Anschutz to the company's board. ISS cited "transactional relationships" between Mr. Anschutz's private investment firm and Qwest as a reason for its recommendation.

...

The board remains largely the same one that was sitting when federal regulators and prosecutors began examining whether Qwest artificially boosted its revenue, prompting a restatement that wiped out $2.5 billion in earnings.

Retirees, incensed that Qwest's last two chief executives have left with millions of dollars, have tried to rein in executive severance pay. This year, they gained the support of management for the mandatory shareholder vote on big severance packages. "

—The Wall Street Journal