Despite ethical and legal issues, College planning to mail postcards for Sigafoos and Harris to all County households prior to the election; Prescott desperate to control the outcome

Commentary

The outcome of the election for the District #3 Verde Valley representative on the College Governing Board will dictate whether millions of Valley taxpayer dollars are returned to the Valley over the next several years to begin serious post-secondary education development. If the current incumbent is successful in her quest for the seat, the Valley taxes will most likely continue to flow unchallenged over Mingus in support of new projects on the west side of the County.

Prescott political interests are acutely aware of the threat to their power the current challenger poses. Consequently, they are hard at work to ensure that Prescott control is maintained, and the current incumbent elected.

The first step in Prescott’s goal of controlling the outcome of the election was to tap the talents of a top fundraiser on the College Foundation to help direct the current District #3 incumbent’s campaign. That fundraiser is a Prescott resident and the Second Vice Chair of the Yavapai Community College Foundation, which is based on the Prescott Campus.  The fundraiser is an executive on the College Foundation Board and sits on the Board with College President Penelope Wills. It is believed that Wills and the incumbent have a very close relationship and there is suspicion that Wills may have played a role in this first step.

Because of the incumbent’s voting and oral participation record while a Board member, most believe she is a sure bet to allow the current rip-off of the Valley to continue. It is noteworthy to recall she was appointed to the position on the Board only 18 months ago despite not living in the Verde Valley for the normal one-year period of time.

The second step to influence the outcome of the election and protect Prescott interests is subtle.  This involves a newsletter in postcard format that Wills is currently planning to print and send to all taxpayers in the Verde Valley just before the November election.  It has been described as “postcards featuring a current board member, their photo and text. It definitely looks like a promo piece for a board member.”

This is a subtle political effort because the content contains two normally innocuous questions. However, in the context of the November election, they offer the incumbent an unchallenged political platform with a photograph and an opportunity to extoll her virtues: real or imagined.  The rhetorical questions the incumbent is answering on the postcard are: “What do you want your constituents to know about you? And “What are the next items you hope to pursue in the new year?”

The newsletter/postcard and response to those questions provides the incumbent with a political platform to boast without challenge.  The same platform is not given to the current challenger. It’s a clever Prescott ploy being played on the Verde Valley, ironically using Verde Valley taxpayer funds.

Wills’ and her chums will no doubt use as cover for sending the newsletter/postcard something like the Board voted to send a newsletter (but the timing issue was never discussed). Or, it must be sent in the fall.

Recall that the College has build an indoor therapy pool for Prescott residents.  It has also built a 1,100 seat dinner theatre with wine bars for the retirees and a seven court professional tennis complex that is used overwhelmingly by retirees and the local tennis association. These are some of the interests the College built using Valley money that Prescott folks are protecting.

This election will decide whether Verde Valley taxpayer money for non-academic and other programs will continue to be splurged on the west side of Mingus Mountain. Or, the College will focus for the first time in 50 years on post-secondary development in the Verde Valley in a meaningful way. 

Wake up Verde Valley.  You are about to be ripped off again.

Bob Oliphant

Second District Yavapai County Supervisor endorses him for District #3 seat; Clarkdale Councilor Bill Regner adds his name to growing list

Paul Chevalier

Tom Thurman

The endorsements for Paul Chevalier continue to pile up.  The latest endorsements came from Second District Yavapai County Supervisor Thomas Thurman and Clarkdale Councilor Bill Regner.  Chevalier already had received endorsements from Third District Supervisor Randy Garrison, three former Yavapai College Governing Board members who represented District #3, Jane Russell Winiecki, the Chairwoman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and many, many others.

Harris says absolutely “no;” west County representatives appear to agree with Harris view

Governing Board Candidate Paul Chevalier addressed the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at its September 11 meeting to wait until after the November election to make the final selection for the new College President.  Candidate Connie Harris a few days later at a community election forum in the Village of Oak Creek make it clear she would never agree to the delay. 

Chevalier argued that if two new Board members are selected by voters at the November election, they should be a part of the Board that makes a final decision on the new College president.  He said that would be fair, that it would be the “essence of our democracy.” 

Chevalier also argued that if the current challengers win, the public is saying they want a “change” in how the College is operating.  That would probably mean a “change” in some of the duties of the new president.  “So it may be a totally different, or partially different,” college president than the current Governing Board would select,” he said.

  When specifically asked if she agreed with Mr. Chevalier, Ms. Harris, who was appointed 18 months ago to the Board and is running against Mr. Chevalier,  stated unequally that she did not agree with his position. She felt the current process was sufficient and she had no hesitation in selecting a new College president if she lost the election.  

There is no reason to believe that the west-county members of the Governing Board support Mr. Chevalier’s arguments.

Mr. Chevalier’s address to the Governing Board appears on the video above.

Harris selects Prescott resident Cyndy Nyman as Treasurer for the election fundraising committee; Nyman is Second Vice Chair of the Yavapai Community College Foundation; sits on Foundation Board with College President Wills, and heads its fundraising arm; slips past state conflict of interest law

The Prescott/Foundation/College influence has begun to trickle  into the Verde Valley Governing Board election. The influence comes in the guise of Ms. Cyndy Nyman. Ms. Nyman, a Prescott resident, has taken the position of treasurer for Connie Harris, who is challenging Paul Chevalier for the open seat on the Community College Governing Board here in the Verde Valley.  (Recall Harris was appointed to the seat despite revealing to the County Education Superintendent she had not lived in the Verde Valley for even a single year.) 

Nyman is the Second Vice Chair of the Yavapai Community College Foundation.  She sits on the Foundation Board with current Community College President Penelope Wills.  She also co-chairs the Foundation fundraising committee.

State law prevents a College employee from holding such a political position as that now occupied by Nyman.  However, because Nyman is a volunteer and the College Foundation a 501(c)(3) organization, she is able to just slip past state law conflict of interest provisions.   Even so, the Blog believes taking a campaign office as a part of a political campaign involving the College while hold a College Foundation officer position presents at least a serious appearance of a conflict of interest.  She should resign from the Foundation. 

District #3 County Supervisor, Chairwoman, Yavapai-Apache Nation, present and former Board members and former Sedona mayors throw their support to him

Paul Chavlier

Paul Chevalier’s  campaign for the Yavapai Community College Governing Board District #3 seat has picketed up steam with the receipt of numerous strong endorsements from Verde Valley leaders and education advocates.  According to the campaign, among those now endorsing Mr. Chavlier are: 

Randy Garrison, Yavapai County Supervisor, District #3.

Jane Russell-Winiecki, Chairwoman Yavapai-Apache Nation.

Deb McCasland, present District #2 College Board member.

Three former  Community College Board members from District #3: Al Filardo, Bob Oliphant and Donna Michaels. 

Two former Sedona mayors, Rob Adams and Dick Ellis. 

In addition, 16 other Verde Valley leaders and education advocates have endorsed Chavlier.

Chavalier states that he is dedicated to (1) lower property taxes flowing to the College, (2) lower community college tuition for County residents, (3) equitable distribution of education resources, (4) accessible educational opportunities for ALL Verde Valley residents, and (5) improved job skills training in the Valley that will lead to well paid jobs.

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. 

Former mayor a strong supporter of Yavapai Community College

The Blog has learned that former Sedona Mayor Rob Adams has indicated he will endorse Paul Chevalier for the District #3 Yavapai Community College seat to be filled in November.  Mr. Chevalier announced about four weeks ago he was running for the seat and has been receiving wide-spread support from community leaders throughout the Verde Valley and Sedona. The indication of endorsement was warmly welcomed by Chevalier.

Rob Adams

Adams, a strong proponent of the College, worked extremely hard and effectively to save the Sedona Center from being closed and sold by the College in 2015-16.  He was also instrumental in triggering an investigation that revealed the Sedona Taxing District is paying more than $6 million dollars annually to the College in property tax support (and receiving little in return for the investment).

Mr. Adams served three years on the Sedona City Council and six years as that community’s mayor. He decided not to run for office in 2016.  He has a long list of diverse community accomplishments as a public servant.  For example, he was instrumental in encouraging the establishment of a year-round culinary institute in Sedona through partnerships with Yavapai College, business organizations, and other interested parties.  The culinary institute is a part of the 2013 Sedona Community Plan.  In 2005, he was a founding board member of MATForce to combat crystal methamphetamine use and manufacture in Yavapai County. As mayor, in 2010 he co-founded the Greater Sedona Substance Abuse Committee (GSSAC) to bring MatForce programming into Sedona.  Since leaving that office Adams has made decreasing substance abuse a personal mission.