Tom Fuentes demagogues it

Gosh, I stop reading OC Blog for two days, and what happens? I miss something!

On Sunday, “Jubal” (aka Matt Cunningham) posted an interview with trustee Tom Fuentes: Fuentes interview, part 1.

Jubal asks Fuentes why he is seeking reelection. In part, Fuentes answers,

…[T]here is … a small element of liberal union bosses leading our local CTA-affiliated faculty labor union who want control of the public checkbook to enhance their salaries and eliminate responsible public oversight. They have attempted to macro-manage affairs at the colleges but we have worked hard on the board to stop these efforts. Unfortunately, we have only a one vote margin. So it is important that Dave Lang, John Williams, and I remain on the board. If any one of us loses, we will give control of the district purse strings to a CTA union leadership that does not have the public interest and our students in mind and will not exercise fiscal restraint or who will govern in a manner consistent with our community's values.

We have the obligation - and have been successful - to plan, save, and utilize the fiscal resources of the district to build and renovate on all of our three campuses. We have implemented advanced technology and improved facilities to better serve our students. This is the kind of prudent use of district funds that cannot be abandoned to the whims of liberal union bosses.

I wrote a response:

Naturally, the quality of a college cannot exceed the quality of its faculty. Hiring the best possible faculty is crucial to maintain a college's excellence.

There was a time when faculty salaries in the South Orange County Community College District (SOCCCD) were relatively high. Offering high salaries was defended by, for instance, Tom Fuentes' pal, John Williams, on the grounds that high salaries attract the best instructors.

Further, in case you haven't noticed, living in South Orange County is expensive.

But the era of high SOCCCD faculty salaries is long past. These days, faculty salaries do not compare well with those of other districts in the area, and this means that the SOCCCD is headed for decline.

Tom Fuentes speaks of "liberal union bosses." I've known the current President of the Faculty Association for many years, and I don't even know what his politics are. Is he liberal? Who knows? His job has little or nothing to do with politics. The primary job of the Faculty Association is to represent faculty in contract negotiations. That is its role, determined by law. Nothing nefarious is afoot.

What is supposed to be a union "boss" anyway? Do "bosses" smoke big cigars and engage in unfettered cronyism? Trust me. The President of our little union is not the type. No cigars. No cronyism.

But there is plenty of cronyism in the SOCCCD, and it flows from the cigar-chomping Mr. Tom Fuentes. He has arranged for friends to get high-paying jobs. His political cronies—Mike Carona, DA Tony Rackaukcas, et al.—come and go, receiving prizes, taking bows. Many district functions looks like meetings of the OC Republican Central Committee.

Gosh, Jubal, why don't you ask Tom why it is that the two colleges of the SOCCCD are now threatened with the possibility of losing accreditation? The accreditors were pretty clear about what is wrong with our district and its colleges. They have no complaint with instruction. On the contrary.

They did carp, however, that the "Board of Trustees [must] cease involvement in college and district operations." Yes, folks, the meddling of Tom and his friends is threatening Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College's accreditation.

But didn't Tom say something about "macro-management" by the "bosses"? That's funny. The accreditors didn't mentioned anything about "macro-management" by anyone.

Boy, that Tom sure can spin 'em.

To see the Accrediting Commission's letter to IVC, go to
http://www.ivc.edu/accreditation/pages/default.aspx

Part 2 of Jubal’s interview appeared yesterday: See. Here's part of it:

MC: What can you tell us about your opponent?

TF: My opponent [Bob Bliss] is a long time CTA-affiliated faculty labor union member, now in retirement. I suspect that he has obtained the union's backing by promising to do its bidding. He has promised to be the one vote the union needs to undo all the good work Dave Lang and I and our conservative colleagues have accomplished over the last several years.

MC: Why is the faculty union so determined to defeat you?

TF: The union bosses oppose me because they know I will not ever sign on to their fiscally irresponsible and socially liberal agenda. I insist on representing the values of our community, not the labor bosses. They have publicly threatened to put hundreds of thousands of dollars, an astounding amount of money for a simple college district race, into the fight against Dave Lang and me because they know that so much more taxpayer money is theirs to control if they win. By defeating us, the union bosses can finally get control of the district's finances to enhance salary and benefits of an already very well paid union faculty who enjoys tenure, marvelous benefits and very comfortable working conditions.

I wrote a letter in response to Part 2 as well. Check it out.