Board rejects invitation to openly discuss potential bias by West side of County against the East side

Third District Governing Board representative Paul Chevalier attempted to generate a discussion among Board members about possible voting bias between the East and West sides of the County at the March 2019 Board meeting. He asserted that prejudice exists “against East side representatives by West side representatives.”

Chevalier stated that the Board 3.1 policy asked the members whether they were “enforcing the discipline needed for excellence” on the Board.  He said the discipline was absent because of bias. He gave as an example that “East side representatives are not voted to become Board Officers.” He observed that  “to do so requires at least one West side vote (along with two East side votes).” He pointed out that no one from the east side of the County has held the position of Board Chair for at least 12 years or Board Secretary in nine years. He said that “prejudice causes ill feelings” and encouraged the Board to discuss the issue.

Chevalier went on to say that when you have a problem you should discuss it. He said that it appeared the Board was not enforcing its own guidelines that mandate it to respective Board member roles in policy-making principles because of the existing prejudice. He challenged the Board to explain why, for example, keeping East side representatives off as Board officers was not counter to the existing policy.

Sigafoos rejected any effort to discuss this issue. Said he was not going to get into a debate over the issue; that it was past history. No one else commented. Chevalier said, “So Everything Stays the same.”

West County members say they don’t want to discuss “history” and Chair refuses to go over the six specific areas contained in evaluation review document up for discussion; Chevalier seeks opportunity for Board to discuss how to achieve a consensus on difficult issues

Governing Board representative Paul Chevalier appeared to send shivers up and down the backs of the west-county voting bloc (Chair Ray Sigafoos, secretary Steve Irwin, member Pat McCarver) when he asked that they discuss the six-part self-evaluation the members had completed and included in the February agenda for “review.”  When he made the initial request, the Board fell silent with only Deb McCasland stating she agreed with Mr. Chevalier.

In his comments to the review compilation, Chevalier wrote that section 3.1.1.1 of the Board policy regarding proper notice that:

“A September, 2016 retreat action is a glaring example of failure to comply. Legal Counsel Adams, in the past, instructed this Board that `agendas must list specific matters to be discussed, considered or decided at the meeting. She defined ‘specific’ as follows: ‘Common sense test: Agendas must contain enough information reasonably necessary to inform the public of the matters to be discussed or decided.’ At the September Retreat the west side Board voted to suspend the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee even though this was not a specific matter on the agenda. None of the following people were informed: The two Board representatives of the east side, the VVBAC members and the public in general. Ask any of them if you doubt me. As a result, Board member Filardo resigned.”

He also wrote that:

“At a Board meeting in 2016 the Board Chair refused the committee’s request to have the Board meet with it to discuss its recommendations. The Board Chair (at the time Pat McCarver) refusing the request stated publicly that she does not meet with committees.”

Sigafoos and McCarver both indicated that these incidents were past history and should not be discussed. Deb McCasland and Chevalier disagreed.

Chevalier went on to write that:

“The group is not a body that acts as a team. You have east side representatives and west side representatives. The west siders are the majority and, to the best of my knowledge, rarely accept important recommendations of the east siders. No compromise, no consensus and no sharing of Board leadership with the east siders is the majority practice. It needs to change.”

Chevalier pushed Chair Ray Sigafoos to find a way the Governing Board could discuss the issues he had raised.  He suggested a future retreat, workshop or meeting.  Sigafoos appeared reluctant to do so but eventually indicated he might.

You may view this unusual Board discussion on the video clip below.

Pima and Maricopa Community Colleges appear to be greatest beneficiaries; not Yavapai Community College

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has proposed some increased financial aid to Arizona Community Colleges in his budget for the coming fiscal year. He delivered  his proposals to  the Legislature January 14. Legislators will, of course, debate and tweak the budget requests. Unfortunately, the Blog is unable to discover any significant increase in financial aid coming from the State to Yavapai Community College.

Ducey said he wants to provide $20 million for an expanded aviation program at the 40,000 student Pima Community College. This will double the capacity of the Aviation Technology Center, which trains people for aerospace industry jobs. This would add funds for another 75 students.

He also wants the legislature to provide $5.8 million for Maricopa County Community College District to get more equipment to expand its health-care programs. This will allow it to train more students in medical programs for staffing operating rooms, emergency care, oncology and intensive care units.

Under Ducey’s budget, Universities would receive $21 million to expand their teachers academies, designed to address the teacher shortage by allow education students a free college education if they agreed to teach in Arizona. The academies started in 2017, but never received any funding. 

The universities would also get $30 million to put toward health insurance costs and $35 million in one-time operating and capital funds to help support Arizona resident students.

House Minority Leader Charlene Fernandez, D-Yuma said in response to Ducey’s proposals that the state still needs to make up for years of cuts to district schools that have led to a teacher-retention crisis, and restore cuts to community colleges and universities.

In a vitriolic meeting and a show of their raw political power, the west county board representatives again name Sigafoos as Board Chair and reject McCasland, despite her credentials, as Board secretary

The West Yavapai County voting bloc (McCarver, Sigafoos, Irwin) made it clear at the somewhat vitriolic Tuesday, January 15 morning special meeting that it is unwilling to share even a modicum of Board leadership with a member of the east side of the County. In doing so, the west side politicos on the Board flexed their political muscle in a showing of raw political power.

Some observers at the meeting were startled by the hostile, almost angry voice of Pat McCarver when she nominated aging and occasionally rambling Ray Sigafoos for another term as the Board chair. To do this, she forcefully interrupted Paul Chevalier while he was speaking and refused (no kidding, look at the video) to allow him to speak. McCarver’s motion came only after an effort by the east county representatives to select a more neutral Governing Board Chair, Steve Irwin, had failed.  The vote to continue with Sigfoos was 3-2 with east county representatives Deb McCasland and Paul Chevalier in the minority.

In a second effort to obtain a modicum of leadership for the east side of the county on the Board, Paul Chevalier nominated Deb McCasland to serve as Governing Board Secretary.  He argued that she had made a life-long commitment to the College. She was also now entering her fifth year on the Governing Board. (McCasland was first elected to the Board in 2014).  Despite his argument, the west county voting bloc (McCarver, Sigafoos, Irwin) selfishly voted her down.

Paul Chevalier commented that the Governing Board chair had gone back and forth between west county representatives over the past several years.  He argued that the chair should be rotated among the members of the Board similar to how the Yavapai County Supervisors rotate their chair.  In response, Ray Sigafoos claimed that this was talked about once 12 years ago and rejected.  He also said the Board was not a “Rotary Club.”

The west Yavapai County voting bloc ended up giving the secretary’s position to Steve Irwin, which to some observers of the meeting appeared odd, to say the least.  It was odd because  only moments earlier he had told the Board members that medical issues prevented him taking the Board Chair’s position. He did not murmur anything about those issues when McCarver nominated him for the secretary position and astonishingly, he seconded his own nomination. To observers, it appeared that the medical issues disappeared when it came to ensuring that the west county politicos maintained total iron-fisted control of the Governing Board. 

Unfortunately for the 70,000 residents living on the east side of the County, the west county voting bloc has once again cemented its position of control over them. The west side politicos, not east county residents and their representatives, will decide the future of post-secondary education on the east side of the county.  And the west side politicos will ensure that the millions of dollars necessary to continue further developing the community college on that side of Mingus Mountain will contain to flow unabated.

The seven minute video clip of the proceeding appears below. 

New President of Board Linda Thor selected in 4-3 vote

The Maricopa Community College Governing Board coup to oust existing Board president Laurin Hendrix while he still had six months left on his term was successful. According to Arizona Republic reporter Anne Ryman, the 4-3 vote to replace Hendrix  occurred at an unusual special meeting held January 15. He was replaced on the Board by Linda Thor.

Just before the meeting began, Hendrix resigned so that the Board could elect new officers, if they chose. According to reporter Anne Ryman’s story, Hendrix expressed regret over what has been a tough year, including a threat and unknown vandals leaving swastikas in the yard of his Gilbert home.  He also said that “not a single person spoke up,” to condemn the behavior, he said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Thor thanked Hendrix for his work, acknowledging that “it’s been a very difficult year and you’ve put in countless hours.”

You may read the entire story by Anne Ryman in the Arizona Republic by clicking here. 

Joins Second District Representative Deb McCasland as strong voice for the east side of the County

Paul Chavlier

Paul Chavlier will be sworn in as the new member representing the Third District on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at the Governing Board meeting January 15.  The Third District encompasses Big Park, Bridgeport 1 and 2, Clarkdale, Clemenceau, Coffee Pot, Cottonwood, Fir, Jacks Canyon, Jerome 1 and 2, Mingus, Orchard, Quail Springs, Red Rock 1 and 2, Red Rock East, Red Rock West, Verde Village, Western, and Wild Horse.

Chavlier, who was opposed by sitting Board member Dr. Connie Harris, won the seat in November by receiving almost 55% of the vote. He will join Deb McCasland as a strong voice for the citizens living in the Verde Valley. 

West County Voting Bloc has controlled agenda for at least last eight years by making sure chair is from that side of County; issues regarding east side of County have been blocked from serious discussion

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board will select a new president at its January 15 meeting.  For the past eight years, it has maintained control over the agenda by selecting a member of the Board who represents the west side of the County at is chair.  Who is in the chair is important because he or she sets the agenda for each meeting and controls the ebb and flow of each meeting.

Because of agenda control, issues such as the location of centralized CTEC facility on the east side of the County, a request from the Chino Valley Council to meet regarding a potential raceway, a Board meeting with the Yavapai-Apache Nation, or a serious discussion about the future development of the east side Verde Campus and Sedona Center have been kept from the Board. 

There is hope that neither west-side hardliners Ray Sigafoos nor Pat McCarver will continue as Chair. It is also hoped that the roadblocks for discussion of important issues that current Chair Sigafoos has blocked in the past will be removed after January 1.

Special meeting set for electing a new Governing Board president, even though current President has six months left on his term

According to press reports, four members of the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board have called a special meeting to elect new officers for 2019. The election is being called even though the Board’s current president has six months left in his term as its leader.

Board member Linda Thor said “a new board ought to be able to elect its own officers.”  

Voters on November  6 elected three new members of the governing board that oversees the state’s largest community college district. In an email to The Arizona Republic, Hendrix wrote, “I was elected to a two-year term that has not ended.”  He noted that the ideology of the board majority shifted in the recent election, going from a board with shared conservative views less inclined to support labor unions, to one with a more liberal stance.

For detailed information about this story, please click here and go to Azcentral.com. 

One month of service in January will result in payment to Wills of about $20,000

Some have questioned whether it is worth spending $20,000 to hold over current president Penelope Wills for one month (January) while awaiting the new Community College President to arrive.  The cost to the College for the one month of service by Wills is about $20,000.

The argument that it was not necessary to give her a one-month interim appointment is that one of the vice presidents could have easily filled in for the 31 day period in January 2019. Therefore, a savings of $20,000 to the College, assuming the VP would not charge that amount for the 31 days.

The contrary view is that Wills will add a sort of continuity to the change-over.  Obviously, most of those on the Governing Board felt that possibly saving $20,000 was not of significance as they approved the interim appointment. Someone once said, “A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.”  Should the phrase have applied here?