On October 1, community activists called out Pima Community College Governing Board member Demion Clinco, for discriminating practices and disrespecting constituents.
C-FAIRR (Coalition for Accountability, Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility) sent a letter to Clinco in which they accuse him, Chancellor Lee Lambert and a majority of Governing Board members of doing “everything and anything to muzzle and stymie any rational discussion and or questions posed in official meetings. The group points to the “dismissive” treatment of Board member Luis Gonzales as evidence of the Board’s failure. The group states that Gonzales, a well-respected former Arizona State senator, is the only Board member, who is “not a knee-jerk administration cheerleader.”
Gonzales has decided not to seek re-election to the dysfunctional Board.
C-FAIRR’s letter:
Dear Mr. Clinco:
We are writing to you on behalf of C-FAIRR and residents/taxpayers of PCC district. By way of background: C-FAIRR is comprised of Pima County residents and Pima Community College System taxpayers. C-FAIRR has been engaged with issues involving Pima Community College for several years. In fact, C-FAIRR was instrumental in bringing to light issues of sexual abuse and harassment by a previous Chancellor and in involving the Higher Learning Commission to investigate the matter. C-FAIRR has also been a key player in many other PCC-related issues (e.g., the reinstatement of the Open Enrollment policy; working to elect PCC BOG members Sylvia Lee and Luis A. Gonzales; fair personnel hiring and promotion policies, etc.).
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As to this communication: We do not believe it is unreasonable to request and expect that you and the majority of the BOG members treat your constituents with respect. The following gives context to this assertion.
C-FAIRR has various times expressed its belief that you and the board majority have abdicated your oversight duties and have become a collective rubber stamp, a cheer leading squad, as it were, for the present administration. Having observed you and the administration in action (or perhaps more accurately, inaction) it is apparent to us that your board, as well as the Chancellor, are in complete denial of the real state of affairs at the College. The Chancellor and your board seem to favor the simplistic, short-sighted view of the administrative and political dynamics of PCC. For example, the present administrative and Board-majority leadership has managed to force out a great number of long-term employees and to continue the downward spiral in enrollment. How will you replace the 100-+ FTES you did away with by eliminating football and other athletic programs? You cite the State and the expenditure-limitation laws for the reduction in revenues (funds) as the basis for the elimination of both staff and programs.
Yet, even as you bemoan budget shortfalls, the board majority approved the “Centers of Excellence Concept,” an unproven and unexplained concept. When the board gave the Chancellor the go-ahead to reorganize you weren’t even given plans (organizational charts) that compared the old and the new. And the community—who is paying for all this and to whom you are responsible—still has not been accorded the simple respect of being allowed to see the product you gave the Chancellor authority to pursue. We have not seen organizational charts, staffing patterns, lines of authority, etc. We have heard that the centers will cost in access of $137 million. Your ill-advised actions have placed a heavy economic burden on taxpayers and on future students, as taxes and student tuition will continue to rise to pay for what is at best a very risky concept.
In addition to the board majority’s poor stewardship qualities that C-FAIRR and others have pointed out, you and your board reject any ideas or innovative ways of moving the College forward. You, the Chancellor and the BOG-majority members do everything and anything to muzzle and stymie any rational discussion and or questions posed in official meetings, as evidenced by the board majority’s dismissive treatment of member Luis A. Gonzales, the only BOG member who is not a knee-jerk administration cheerleader. It is obvious that the Chancellor, you and your board majority were going to do everything you possibly could to assure that the District 5 BOG member—elected resoundingly by his constituents—was NOT going to have a seat at your table. You and your board buddies made very sure that Member Gonzales virtually never got a second on any motion he made. Your attitude toward and actions regarding Member Gonzales produced and maintained an unprofessional, toxic, and divisive environment. It was clear that the basis for your muzzling Member Gonzales was that his experience, knowledge of community and issues intimidated all of you. In muzzling him you denied District 5 taxpayers (constituents) of their voice in the development of College policies.
Your anti-Mexican American/Yaqui attitude goes back to the past election, when Luis A. Gonzales was challenging (appointed member) Martha Durkin for the District 5 seat. You and your fellow BOG members Sylvia Lee and Mark Hanna publicly supported and endorsed Durkin. This is of concern on several levels, not the least of which is the racial-ethnic dimension of your action. As you know, District 5 is a majority-minority district. At that time Dist. 5’s composition was 58.11% Mexican American/Yaqui and PCC’s enrollment was 43.2% Mexican American/Latino, on which basis Pima College is designated an Hispanic Serving Institution. Yet you and your board colleagues actively sought to keep Mexican Americans/Yaquis off of the PCC Board and to keep the predominantly Mexican American/Yaqui District 5 from having Mexican American/Yaqui representation.
Of course, you and your fellow board members have an absolute right to support whomever you choose. But be that as it may, we submit it is fundamentally unprofessional and unethical to take sides in BOG elections when you will have to work with someone you worked against, should that person win, as occurred in this case. The BOG and the Chancellor have many fiduciary duties. Selecting BOG members is not one of them.
Unlike you and Durkin, Luis Gonzales is not an appointee to the board. Over 24,000 District 5 voters said they wanted Luis to be their voice on the PCC Board. In a three-way race, Luis received over 50% of the votes, which, as you know, is a very significant margin. As you remember, when Luis was seated on the board many people (including several signers of this letter) spoke at the PCC board meeting, expressing support for Luis. But more importantly, we expressed our hope that finally District 5 would have a board representative who actually represented his constituents and not simply be an enabler of the PCC administration. Luis was not a disruptive force on the board. He sought accountability and asked questions that taxpayers should expect to be asked. He stood up for staff, faculty, and students. You and your fellow board members’ disrespect of Luis is a slap in the face not only to us but to the 24,000-plus voters who expressed their will at the ballot box.
Your anti-Mexican American/Yaqui attitude and interference regarding who should represent District 5 has not ceased. Luis A. Gonzales’ term is up. We are apprised that you and other board members actively recruited someone to run against Gonzales. This paternalistic attitude is rooted in a profound degree of privilege and sense of superiority. Our community does not need you to dictate to us who should represent us.
C-FAIRR will continue to pay very close attention to the dynamics of the new PCC board. Pima College is a very valuable and valued asset within our community. Be assured that we will do all we can to save our College, and we will expose anything that we feel is counter to what the College’s values were when it was first established.
Sincerely,
C-FAIRR members and friends:
Mario R. Gonzales, George Leon, Toni Sereno, Robert Sainz, Conrado Miranda, George and Rachael Felix, Soaring Hawk, Lucia Miranda, Mary Gonzales, Rosa Sanchez, Salvador Gallardo, Rudy and Reyna Ballesteros, Heaven Rendon, Jose Gonzales, Becky Mendibles, Robert Valdez, Maritza Bettigold, Monica Lopez, Rachael Lopez, Irene Lopez, Vivian Lopez, Nellie Palmer, Salomon Baldenegro, Cecilia Cruz Baldenegro, Fred Montez, Alcario Gastellum,….and many others.