We’ve been hearing for a long time that Tom Fuentes and his Festering Flunkies (Dave Lang and John Williams) seek to bring back the recently deposed Raghu "Goo" Mathur.
But Don Wagner hates Raghu Mathur (and no doubt has other helpful motives), and so he will block the return of Raghu any way he can. So the plan (no doubt) is to get stuff done—including the Chancellor hire—before Don’s exit from the board at the end of the year.
Mr. Muldoon, the GOP-endorsed candidate for Don’s trustee seat, has a real shot at winning (but not if the Faculty Association has anything to say about it!). It’s Orange County, dude.
It is implausible to suppose that Wagner has not communicated with Muldoon, impressing upon him the importance of preventing a new round of Goo. It is equally implausible to suppose that Mr. Fuentes has not courted the crap out of the Doonster. That’s what the man does. And he’s good at it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the upshot of these efforts to woo the Doo is a determination on the Doo’s part not to hire Raghu but to otherwise play ball with Team Fuentes.
If so, we’re in for hard times.
—UNLESS, of course, the union can get its candidate, Mr. Prendergast, onto the board. If so, we’re sittin’ pretty. (I.e., we’ll avoid a new Dark Age.)
Remember, in recent years, the union has come damned close to succeeding—e.g., in its effort to remove Fuentes in 2008 (with candidate Bob Bliss). So this is doable.
If you visit the SOCCCD website, you’ll find the following announcement:
Board of Trustees Meeting
Special Board Meeting
Monday, September 27
12 noon - 5 p.m.
Regular Meeting
Monday, September 27
Open Session 6 p.m.
(The agenda is not yet available.)I’m guessing, then, that the final interviews of Chancellor candidates (apparently, there are two or three of them; I don’t see how they can interview more than three) will occur during the noon-to-five period, that deliberations will occur then or in the subsequent closed session, and that, if Don has his way, the new Chancellor will be announced at the open session at 6:00 p.m.
It’s hard to picture Team Don, what with its dire motleyhood, getting its act together in so brief a time (an afternoon). But I sure hope they manage it.
Arguably, the fate of Don’s trustee seat is more important than the choice of Chancellor. Life with Muldoon will likely be horrible, even if it does not feature ghastly Goo. And it is clear that securing victory for Prendergast is doable.
So faculty: please get up, stand up, WORK TO ELECT PRENDERGAST.
See also:
● Muldoon is forced to correct his candidate's statement
● Two factoids re the SOCCCD trustees race
● Candidate’s statements for Prendergast and Muldoon
● Another right-winger to replace Wagner?
