The members are Board Chair Christina Fleming, Trustee Ruth Hatcher and Trustee Dave DeVarti. How well do you think Washtenaw Community College is meeting the needs of its community? Gretchen Whitmers latest education budget proposal: Gov. But if youre talking about a board of trustees you need a mixture of people. . Prop 3 fight eclipses $50 million: Yes outraising No and polling ahead, What narrowing polls in Michigans midterms really mean for voters. In August, the WCAT's interview team met for half an hour with each of the ten Ann Arbor Public School Board of Trustees candidates for the November 4, 2014 election. 2022 Michigan AFL-CIO Endorsements Office District Candidate Governor Gretchen Whitmer Lt Governor Garlin Gilchrist II Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Attorney General Dana Nessel Justice of Supreme Court Richard Bernstein Justice of Supreme Court Kyra Harris Bolden Member of the State Board of Education Pamela Pugh Member of the State Board of Education Mitchell In our discussions, we took note of Quindlens deep knowledge of the districts problems and his ability to provide direct answers and specific solutions. Meet the candidates. Under her leadership, the district made progress in its accreditation rating. At the Michigan Democratic Party's State Endorsement Convention on April 9, 2022, Democrats from across the state voted to endorse candidates for Secretary of State, Attorney General, Supreme Court, Board of Education, and University Boards. He served on the Board of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority from 1991 to 2008. Does he see the Board of Trustees as a stepping stone to a higher office? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Saleem Gilmore David Rowe | Associate Editor. Davis: Dissension is a cancer which can disable any successful organization from its core. Reiss also played a role in instituting the Statement of Cooperation, a symbolic gesture that renewed the boards commitment to build trust amongst each other and practice good and ethical governance. I bring that experience as well as I negotiated on the other side several times.. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Los Angeles Community College District is governed by a popularly elected seven-member Board. Iino ran in a special election to the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees to represent Seat No. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. It is quite a list. Ultimately, we felt that it was time for a change for the Area 5 trustee seat. While one candidate, Area 5 incumbent Cindi Reiss, chose not to participate, all six candidates were equally considered during the endorsement process. View the latest information on the May 2022 board elections. Dave DeVarti held a seat on Ann Arbor city council as a Democrat representing ward four from April 1987 to April 1988. The cost of higher education has become out of reach for many families and by keeping tuition low a student can enroll at WCC and not be burdened with high costs that would absorbed their funds before advancing beyond their first year in college. Some community college district boards are unexpectedly popular springboards to higher office. In protest the League held two sit-ins in 1935. Candidates in this contest and votes received: Debbie Macon (31.0%), Thomas Patrick Sulli (29.6%), Christopher P. Malon (21.0%), Sherry Cormier-Kuhn (17.0%), All Other Votes (1.5%), Total Votes Cast (0.0%), and Total Ballots Cast (0.0%). Trust in its leadership is essential to driving a company forward. Davis is also the owner of Davis Jewelry Collections and works at TJMaxx in Ann Arbor. Cindi Reiss did not join us at our Trustee Candidate Forum. While our newsroom found strengths and weaknesses in each of them, we ultimately chose to endorse Louis Quindlen, Saleem Gilmore, and Sheweet Yohannes. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. His main focus was not on changes, but on budget yet did not mention his experience in managing money (which he has) and how that would apply to Peralta if elected. Read more: This could be one of Michigans closest state House races in 2022 election. WCC has lost a great deal of experience and knowledge through a mass exodus of long term employees or those close to retirement that would often like to stay but have given up, retired, or forced to leave. While we were impressed by Gilmores level of knowledge about PCCD and preparation for the forum, we wondered if, like many politicians, that gave him the ability to tell us what we wanted to hear. [CDATA[ Saleem Gilmore is challenging incumbent Trustee and Board President Cindi Reiss for the Area 5 seat. 2022 Candidate Interviews and Election Information. By Sabrina Edwards. The newsroom decided to endorse Sheweet Yohannes bid to become the new Area 7 trustee on Peraltas governing board. Challenging an established incumbent is never easy, particularly for a down-ballot school board seat. Many companies specifically request students from WCC who possess skillsets that in most cases surpass students from 4-yr institutions. This left a sour taste in our mouth that no impressive list of credentials could totally wash out. During her term as board chair, Fleming has helped navigate WCC through a major IT transition, as well as work closely with President Bellanca to steer the college through the many hurdles that COVID-19 created. MLive/The Ann Arbor News partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Hatcher was also the recipient of several awards throughout her career, including the first Morris Lawrence award in 1991. She also served as the English/Writing Department chair, was president of the faculty union, director of the Writing Center and interim Vice President of Instruction. I just happened to raise my hand and put my name on the ballot. They include races for Scio Township trustee, Northfield Township trustee, Dexter township trustee and Sylvan Township clerk and supervisor. Meanwhile, land preservation millages are on the ballot in Dexter, Northfield and Scio townships. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The Editorial Board is made up of opinion journalists with wide-ranging expertise whose consensus opinions and endorsements represent the voice of the institution - defined as the board. Yohannes also seemed very educated on the topic when discussing the difference between private and public security options for the district, and gave a concrete opinion on what course of action she believed the district should take, a stance not every candidate was willing to commit to. Three seats on the WCC board of trustees are open, with several board members running for reelection this Nov. 3. Top row, left to. William G. Milliken Jr. The newsroom discussed disqualifying Reiss from our endorsement process, but determined that her contributions as trustee, vice president and most recently president of the board, merited her consideration. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The statement suggested that Reiss has the ability as Board President to rally her fellow trustees and address some of the districts problems. This resolution authorizes newly-elected board chair Rema Vassar to negotiate and enter into an agreement with consulting services for board governance, bylaws and policy development. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. We sincerely hope that, if elected, each of these prospective public servants will keep their commitments and help guide the district out of a period marked by scandal and turmoil into one marked by student equity and success. Election results and vote counts for candidates for office, ballot questions, and party enrollment and voter registration and turnout statistics. Both candidates appeared to be combative. The League of the Physically Handicapped in New York was organized in May 1935 to end discrimination by the WPA against the physically handicapped unemployed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Candidate. Prior to being elected a College trustee, I served 6 years on the Washtenaw Community College Foundation board. function googleTranslateElementInit() { Your email address will not be published. Her spending doesnt come close. Read more: Saline has 5 choices for 3 City Council seats. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. Three of them incumbent president Jim Leija and newcomers Aidan Sova and Catherine Hadley are running a coordinated campaign. As human as Yohannes sounded, she was not able to confidently answer all of the questions asked of her, raising some concern as to her preparedness and ability to handle the role of trustee. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties. We were, however, impressed with his ideas in response to our question on promoting equitable representation for students and staff at PCCD. Despite being new to the district, we felt that Yohannes should still have known about the boards travel policies and the recent issues that have been prevalent in regards to them. On paper, Seth Steward might even appear overqualified for the position of Area 7 trustee on the districts governing board. Or call us at 866-MEA-HELP, var Comm100API=Comm100API||{};(function(t){function e(e){var a=document.createElement("script"),c=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];a.type="text/javascript",a.async=!0,a.src=e+t.site_id,c.parentNode.insertBefore(a,c)}t.chat_buttons=t.chat_buttons||[],t.chat_buttons.push({code_plan:253,div_id:"comm100-button-253"}),t.site_id=48834,t.main_code_plan=253,e("https://vue.comm100.com/livechat.ashx?siteId="),setTimeout(function(){t.loaded||e("https://standby.comm100vue.com/livechat.ashx?siteId=")},5e3)})(Comm100API||{}), 2021 Michigan Education Association . With two seats up for grabs on the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees voters will pick from among three candidates, including two incumbents. and Ruth Hatcher. Candidate Forums: Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees No views Sep 22, 2022 Angela Davis, David S. Malcolm and William G. Milliken, Jr. discuss their priorities as. This critical work, as Reiss described it in her email response to. When asked if he would be willing to recuse himself when the Board of Trustees votes on contracts that could benefit campaign contributors, friends, or close associates, Gambles response was that his campaign is self funded a non-answer that we found troubling. She is a tech consultant with her own LLC. Read more: Heres who is running for a new Ypsilanti-area Michigan House seat in November. Prior to that, in 2016, voter approval was 70.4%. Heres whos running in the Nov. 8 election, City, township and school ballot proposals. East Lansing, MI 48823, Telephone: 1-800-292-1934 (For a list of MEAs recommended candidates for state and federal offices, follow this link. In particular, WCC announced the employment this year of Vice President of Labor Relations and Chief Human Resources Officer, Ted Cwiek who was instrumental in negotiating the new 3-year contract with the Washtenaw Community College Education Association (WCCEA), which became effective August 23, 2022. He serves on the boards of Heritage Christian University, Maywood Christian Camp, The Ministry League, The Daily Apologist, and Exposure Youth Event. Water commissioner Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated to correct biographical information. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. He specifically addressed the districts failed financial priorities. Washtenaw County voters in Chelsea and Sylvan Township will help decide the race for the new 46th District, stretching west to cover Jackson. The field includes current board members Angela Davis and William Milliken Jr., as well as challenger David Malcolm. Create fair and equal policy to help WCC administration, faculty and support staff deliver an exceptional experience for all that enter our campus. In an email correspondence with The Citizen, Reiss declined to participate, stating that the candidateswho will all make very good board membersshould be the focus. As an incumbent trustee and current Board President, Reiss witnessed and was a part of many upheavals within the district. Milliken, Jr.: I am a 30-year Ann Arbor resident, during which time Ive held a range of non-profit and trade association leadership positions. ANN ARBOR, MI - One challenger is seeking to unseat one of the two incumbents running on the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees this fall. Votes % Angela Davis . Superintendent Of Public Instruction California Board of Equalization Member, District 1 California State Assembly District 8 District 9 District 13 Judicial California Supreme Court Justice California State Court of Appeal Justice, District 3 School Stockton Unified School District Trustee, Trustee Area 2 Trustee, Trustee Area 5 Here are the races in all 9 districts, Meet the candidates for the Washtenaw County Trial Court judge seat, Two Washtenaw County attorneys vying to be next 14A District judge, Meet the 13 candidates vying for 4 Ann Arbor School Board seats, Challenger seeks to unseat 1 of 2 incumbents on Washtenaw Community College board, Republicans seek to unseat two Democrats on University of Michigan Board of Regents, 6 candidates vying for 3 seats on Ann Arbor District Library board. Malcolm: Be more accessible and listen to the faculty and support staff that actually do the work and carry out the written policies set forth by the board to ensure student and employee success. //]]>//=b[e].k&&a.height>=b[e].j)&&(b[e]={rw:a.width,rh:a.height,ow:a.naturalWidth,oh:a.naturalHeight})}return b},t="";h("pagespeed.CriticalImages.getBeaconData",function(){return t});h("pagespeed.CriticalImages.Run",function(b,d,a,c,e,f){var k=new p(b,d,a,e,f);n=k;c&&m(function(){window.setTimeout(function(){r(k)},0)})});})();pagespeed.CriticalImages.Run('/mod_pagespeed_beacon','https://mea.org/','YddRYU7ik1',true,false,'6xMP8DvAs1E'); With the stakes so high in this years election, MEA is recommending a record 330 candidates for preK-12 school boards, as well as 11 candidates for community college boards of trustees and six candidates for library boards. Its not too late to register to vote, either. In the past decade I have seen a shift that I do not like. Many companies specifically request students from WCC who. All rights reserved (About Us). On Tuesday, Grand Rapids Community College held a forum that was broadcasted on YouTube interviewing three candidates, Brandy Lovelady Mitchell, Brandon Sinclair, and Daniel Williams, to fill two positions on GRCC's Board of Trustees. Below you will read personal opinions and the newsrooms observations for the candidates running in Areas 3, 5, and 7 all written by individual staff writers and editors.