Monday, July 26, 2010

A threat and call for therapy

Outgoing Delta College president blasts trustees
By The Record
July 25, 2010 12:01 AM

The warning, and that might be the kindest way to characterize it, from outgoing Delta College President Raul Rodriguez would have been almost comical had he not been so serious.

"I have rights as an employee," Rodriguez lectured the college board. "Those rights are not to be violated. They have been in the past. I will no longer be employed by this district. If my rights are violated, you can bet I will take action in the future."

And with that, off goes Rodriguez to become the superintendent of the Rancho Santiago Community College District in Orange County, the state's third largest.

The Rodriguez warning - some might describe it as a threat - came as three board members publicly acknowledged that they are the ones the county grand jury was referring to in a report last month accusing some trustees of conducting "serial meetings" in violation of the state's open meetings law.

Trustees Mary Ann Cox, Ted Simas and Taj Khan made the admissions, but did not admit any violations of the Ralph M. Brown Act, which sets out the rules for conducting the board's business in public.

The specific Brown Act violation - although there have been any number of allegations the law has been violated time and again over the years by Delta trustees - involved an incident in the spring of 2009. Trustee Jennet Stebbins claims she was contacted by Cox about ousting Rodriguez, and that Khan and Simas also had been contacted. Assuming it happened, nothing came of it. But we know Rodriguez has been job-hunting for months.

Rodriguez is concerned about a closed door meeting June 1 to evaluate him. He said the evaluation went well, but he's entitled to privacy guaranteed any district employee in personnel matters.

Simas had waved a tape recorder, implying the June 1 session had been taped. It hadn't, he said.

Rodriguez suggested that trustees not only needed additional training on the open meetings law, but he also recommended they undergo conflict resolution therapy.

"Given the discussion that happened tonight, it's very discouraging," he told them. It's more than discouraging. It's disgusting.

Delta trustees are responsible for setting the policies for a district that sprawls across parts of seven counties, employs hundreds, educates thousands and spends millions of tax dollars. The least we should be able to expect is that they scrupulously obey the law - including the Brown Act - and that they conduct their public business in a mature, calm and reasoned manner.

Board meetings aren't some sort of fight club any more than board service should be viewed as a country club membership.

Delta College is one of the most important educational institutions in this area.

Its success is intricately tied to the economic and social success of our region.

Trustees are about to hire a new president. It is imperative they make a good choice. They can't do that if they're fighting among themselves; they can't expect any high-qualified candidate to accept the position if it's offered by a board clearly in need of therapy.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100725/A_OPINION01/7250305&emailAFriend=1

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