Suggestion for joint meeting to resolve Verde Valley issues ignored; VVBAC neutered by Wills’ and attack on VVBAC led by  West side respresentatives 

The Blog told readers weeks ago that this would happen.

Mr. Paul  Chevalier, speaking for the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee (VVBAC), suggested at the November 9, 2015 Governing Board meeting that the Governing Board, College administrators, and the VVBAC hold a series of joint meetings to work out solutions to the VVBAC’s 16 recommendations for improving post secondary education in the Verde Valley. As he pointed out at the meeting, the Board has erected a barrier to effectively deal with these issues by delegating virtually all operations to the President. She is shielded by the Board from any significant involvement by the public in how millions of taxpayer dollars are spent.  Mr. Chevalier stated that to resolve the post secondary educational issues raised by the VVBAC, it would take cooperation among everyone to solve them–the Board, the administration, and the VVBAC. 

Little did Mr. Chevalier realize at the time of his speech that Dr. Penelope Wills and the West County voting block would insult him and the VVBAC by totally ignoring his polite request. Instead, the West voting block, aided by Wills’ sought to neuter any further serious efforts by the VVBAC.  

The neutering was accomplished by giving the VVBAC a single charge: they may now  consider a half dozen essentially self-serving questions handed to them by the Board at the meeting. They are to discuss these questions among themselves and with residents.  But nothing else is to be done by the VVBAC if West County real estate developer Irwin’s comment, made when the motion regarding this directive was seconded, is followed.  

The goal of the West County representatives, and Wills, as the Blog has been telling its readers for weeks, has been to suppress the activities and voice of the VVBAC.  They accomplished that goal November 9—unless the VVBAC is prepared to ignore what was clearly intended and stand against the effort to suppress its voice.

Given the history of the College, the 16 recommendations for improving post secondary education in the Verde Valley, made by the VVBAC, will be smothered in broad community college administrative double speak, academic self-serving rhetoric. They  will find a dusty shelf in the administrators closet where they will be stored.

If you click here, you will be taken to Mr. Chevalier’s two minute speech asking for cooperation from the Board and the College administration.

His speech may also be read here.

November 9 to the Governing Board

Madame Chair and members of the Yavapai College District Governing Board.

My name is Paul Chevalier and I live in Sedona.   I am here today on behalf of the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee to make a suggestion to the Board.

When our committee members were asked to join the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee to give advice to the Governing Board we did it with the belief that our advice would be listened to and acted upon by the Board.

We understand now that the Board delegates all decisions on ‘means’ to the College President and that some of the Board members consider our recommendations as ‘means’. Yet this hands off approach by the Board is not solving the concerns of the Verde Valley.

An acceptable way out of this dilemma needs to be found and we believe that there is one.

Read More→

Obvious goal to neuter VVBAC’s strong voice coming from the Verde Valley

President Penelope Wills and the three West County members of the College Governing Board launched a three-pronged attack at the November 9 Board meeting on the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee (VVBAC). The goal was obvious. It was to significantly weaken, if not eliminate its voice and effectiveness.
The West County representatives were led in their charge to neuter the Committee by 4th District Chair Pat McCarver, who has repeatedly stated over the past several months her irritation at the Committee’s activities.

Phase 1: The first phase of the attack was orchestrated by Wills and apparently the Board President. Wills pulled out and distributed a draft document she claimed was a spreadsheet showing that she and the Governing Board had considered most, if not all, of the 16 recommendations made by the VVBAC. (The VVBAC would strongly disagree with Wills.) The document, prepared ahead of the meeting, was not included in the agenda material posted to the website prior to the meeting. One suspects that Wills’ withheld it from public disclosure so it would have an impact on the discussion regarding the future of the VVBAC by supporting the West County Block on the Board. Copies were not provided to the public at the meeting.

VVBAC Chair Paul Chevalier, stunned by the sudden appearance of the Wills’ crafted spreadsheet, was provided as a courtesy a minute to comment on it. (It had been kept secret until the meeting.)  He said that: 

“What we’re looking for in terms of this [referring to the Wills’ spreadsheet] is something more concrete.” “We’re looking for hard answers. That is what the communities are looking for.”

There was no response to Mr. Chevalier’s comment.

Chevalier had earlier urged that the Governing Board meet with the VVBAC, the College administrators, and together thoroughly discuss and review the 16 point proposal coming from the VVBAC to improve post secondary education in the Verde Valley. He urged a cooperative “working together” effort. His plea for cooperation was ignored by the Board and no doubt further rankled the feathers of the West side voting block who were out to weaken, if not eliminate, the VVBAC.

Phase 2: The second phase of the attack was led by Board President McCarver who was joined by Prescott representative Sigafoos and Prescott Valley real estate developer Steve Irwin.

McCarver repeatedly and somewhat irritably stated that the VVAC was a Governing Board Committee, implying it was acting too independently. She also stated in an apparent response to the plea for cooperation and discussion of the 16 recommendations coming from Chevalier and the VVAC that “you shouldn’t have to negotiate with our own committee.”

Representative Steve Irwin has clearly been on a path to neuter the VVBAC for some time. He said at the November 9 meeting that the VVBAC should have a “ very small, narrow scope.” He also said he felt the VVBAC was “more of a watchdog group sometimes,” which no doubt irritated him greatly.

Prescott representative Sigafoos stated his concern that the VVBAC “has an overriding part of the agenda.“ Apparently, actual effective input from community residents is not really welcomed in his camp if it comes from the Verde Valley.

Representative Filardo bobbed and weaved in response to the attack; trying to save some portion of the VVBAC from the West side barrage. Representative McCasland likewise attempted to thwart the effort launched by Wills’ and the West County voting block.

At the end of phase 2, McCarver and her West County voting block seemed to have forced Filardo and McCasland somewhat into a corner. A motion was made by Irwin that the VVBAC focus on a series of 4 or 5 very broad questions that might be used by focus groups in the spring.

McCasland asked whether the motion meant eliminating the current work of the VVBAC but received no clear answer.

Irwin seemed to believe that his motion meant that the four or five broad questions to be asked of Verde Valley residents was the only work the VVBAC was to do, which leaves it a neutered Verde Valley voice. Filardo and McCasland seemed to believe the VVBAC could continue its present work. The vote was unanimous in favor of the West block’s proposal.

McCarver stated after the vote that it didn’t preclude future direction; it was the “direction as of today.” McCarver concluded by adding more confusion about the vote by stating:

“We made a decision on something.”

Phase 3: The third phase of the attack to further weaken the VVBAC came from Wills’ at the end of the meeting. She said she was pulling all administrative support from the Committee. Since the rooms had been scheduled through December, the Committee was on its own. She saw no reason why the VVBAC couldn’t operate on its own without any administrative help.

Pulling administrative support from an effective group is the same modus operandi used by Wills’ when she decided to shut down the Greater Verde Valley Chapter of the Foundation over two years ago. The GVVC’s voice was becoming far too strong for the Prescott folks and Wills’ so she cut out desperately needed effective administrative assistance.

In the end, the orchestrated attacked meant that democracy in terms of the people’s right to be heard about how the College spends their taxes suffered a serious wound. Whether it is fatal remains to be seen.

(Note. The Blog will provide a video of this part of the meeting as soon as it is available.)