College sends invitations to certain local unnamed politicians; meeting open to public to observe

Yavapai Community College has announced the Community Forums that were cancelled in April will be held on August 16 and 17.   The August 16 meeting will be held on the Prescott Campus, room  32-119 at  1:00 p.m.  The August 17 meeting will be held on the Verde Valley Campus in room G-106, beginning at  10:00 a.m.

The College has invited a number of local politicians to attend the meeting but has not disclosed its invitation list.  It will control the agenda and the information supplied to the politicos prior and during the meeting. 

The question of whether citizens may attend these forums was a hot button issue back in April.  When they were originally announced, it appeared that they were private affairs and the public could not attend and observe.  However, when the issue was raised during an April 2018 meeting, President Penelope Wills and Governing Board Chair Ray Sigafoos said they were open to the public.  Representative Deb McCasland said that she was told by President Penelope Wills that the forums were not open to the public.  Wills replied that McCasland was wrong.  According to Wills, her office had said that the public could observe but not participate.  McCasland challenged that statement saying she was specifically told that there was no room for the public at the meetings.

Representative Connie Harris seemed to  indicate relief during the March 2018 Governing Board meeting that the forum participants would be speaking in a “safe” and “anonymous” setting.  Observers at that meeting inferred that given this language the two forums were in fact private.

It is clear, however, that the August meetings are open to the public.  They have been put on the Governing Board meeting agenda web site.

Great faculty profiles; was it “Pay to Play” type of publication?

The magazine, Prescott Woman, featured Dr. Penelope Wills, her administrative assistant, and nine members of the Community College faculty in its August/September education edition.  Wills was featured on the cover of the magazine and her photo appears in four places in the article itself.  A significant portion of the article focused on lauding Wills on her retirement.  Photos of the Prescott Campus and great portraits of all the women featured in the article graced the edition.   Nine outstanding faculty were profiled.

As you might guess from the magazine’s name and cover, the focus of the article was on the West side of the County, Wills’ retirement and Prescott.  As commented by one member of the faculty who was interviewed in the article:  “Aside from our beautiful [Prescott] campus,” she said, “Prescott has a unique blend of small town values mixed with a well-educated retirement population and four local colleges.  With close proximity to the National Forest and easy access to Phoenix, we have something for everyone.”

One Blog reader who claims to be a retired publishing industry executive commented that “This has to be an example what we in the publishing industry call, `Pay to Play Publishing’”.   On checking the article, the Blog found three specific advertisements by the College.  However, it was unable to confirm the total amount paid by the College to the publisher. Another reader commented that given this was the education issue, other colleges and universities in Prescott were pretty much ignored. Thus adding to the suspicion that the Yavapai article was a “Pay to Play” type of publication.

You may read the online version of the magazine by clicking here.

Will oppose unnecessary tax rate increases; listen to constituents; won’t be a rubber stamp; and will demand transparency

Wayne Meddaugh

Wayne Meddaugh has filed for the position of District #1 Yavapai Community College District Governing Board seat.  Mr. Meddaugh says he will oppose future unnecessary tax rate increases, listen to his constituents, will not be a rubber stamp for the administration and will demand transparency for the $84 million dollar public supported community college. 

Mr. Meddaugh was born in Michigan, attended a parochial school, public high school, community college, and graduated from Wayne State University. Following graduation from College, in 1969, he accepted the position as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. While with the Secret Service, his unit was assigned to protect five sitting Presidents, candidates for the presidency, and other elected officials. Among other assignments, he supervised the security for Ronald Reagan at the 1980 Republican Convention in Detroit, Michigan.

When not assigned to protection, he investigated financial crimes involving the U.S. Treasury. He was also a member of the Organized Crime Task Force and received numerous awards for investigations against organized crime. After retiring from the Secret Service, he took on  a number of different security positions including working with the Office of Inspector General supervising financial crime investigations. He later worked with the Air Marshals’ Service as a supervisor to assist in its buildup following 9/11. 

After retiring in Prescott in  2004, he volunteered at the college’s performance hall, and became a College legacy donor. He states that he deeply believes in the community college system, especially because it offers so much more than just the opportunity to provide the initial academic background that will allow you to transfer to a four year institution.

Published candidate interviews appeared in the Verde Independent July 24

The four legislative candidates running for office in Legislative District 6 that encompasses most of the Verde Valley were interviewed by the Verde Independent on July 24, 2018.  They were asked to express their opinions about the most important issues facing the Verde Valley and what they sponsor to deal with these concerns.

Only candidate Bob Thorpe did not mention education in the Verde Valley as an issue in response to the question.

Candidate Felicia French said the following in part:

“Education is an issue everywhere I go and it continues to be a primary concern for me.”

“As someone who has taught at a community college, I understand the absolute value of providing a varied, affordable and quality education for all of our students – no student and no community should be left wanting when it comes to education.”

“We need to make sure institutions of higher learning, such as the Verde Valley campus of Yavapai College, receive proper funding so they can offer the courses that benefit those students in the community.”

“Whether those courses are teaching practical trades like welding or offering degrees in liberal arts that are essential to expanding our understanding of each other, we need to make sure these courses are available to everyone in the Verde Valley for an affordable price because a quality education makes a stronger, happier and more affluent community possible.” 

You may read her entire interview in the Verde independent by clicking here.

Candidate Stuart McDaniel said the following in part:

 “Of course, issues such as quality education, jobs and infrastructure are high on the list of issues I hear about when interacting with people in the Verde Valley and the entire district.”

“Arizona currently spends 55.6 percent of its budget on education.”

“I do believe in further investing in technical education through our Joint Technical Education Districts and partnering with our High Schools and Community Colleges to ensure those that who are interested can learn a trade in the type of jobs are needed for our economy to continue to thrive.”

You may read his entire interview in the Verde independent by clicking here.

Candidate Walt Blackman said the following in part (that indirectly reflects on the needs of the Community College on the east side of the County):

“I believe it is the regional instability in the area. The legislature should conduct a partnership program with Verde Valley and invest studies with community leaders in finding a way to stabilize the Regional issues.”

You may read his entire interview in the Verde independent by clicking here.”

Candidate Bob Thorpe said nothing regarding education in the Verde Valley.

You may read his entire interview in the Verde independent by clicking here.