The views expressed on this page are my own and are provided in my capacity as an individual member of the Yavapai College Governing Board to support open communication with the community. They do not represent the official position of the Board or the College. Board actions and decisions occur only through the formal public meeting process.
BOARD MEETING 1-14-2025
BOARD OFFICERS ELECTION:
At the January 14, 2025, board meeting, the election of board officers was held. I nominated Toby Payne for board chair, while Steve Bracety nominated Deb McCasland. I presented several reasons supporting Toby’s nomination, including the fact that a District 3 board member has not served as board chair in over 15 years. Electing Toby would send a positive message to District 3 constituents, and it is customary for the role of board chair to rotate among members. Additionally, if elected, Ms. McCasland would have served seven consecutive years as board chair, which I noted as a significant deviation from the norm.
I also referenced a conversation I had with Ms. McCasland at the last board meeting, during which I expressed my desire to foster a positive and productive relationship. Her response, however, was, “I doubt it.” Furthermore, I highlighted that I had sent her three emails since the election requesting access to all board communications to better prepare for my role as a board member. To date, I have received no response to any of those emails. When I attempted to raise this issue during the meeting, both the board chair and our college counsel interrupted and shouted me down.
For reference, this discussion can be viewed at approximately 22 through 25 minutes into the meeting via the attached link.
https://yavapai.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=f89dbed5-e51b-439e-b8e4-b2680133af46
The vote went to Ms. McCasland as follows:
Deb McCasland - YES, Patrick Kuykendall - YES,
Steve Bracety - YES, William Kiel - NO Toby Payne - NO.
BOARD OVERSIGHT OF THE COLLEGE:
At this meeting I was informed that the College Board has virtually no independent oversight of how the day-to-day operations of the college are run. Day-to-Day includes hiring, firing as well as almost every important decision. These decisions are made by solely by the College President. I believe these duties should not be entirely delegated to the college president, the Board as representatives of the public in general should have a significant amount of oversight and input with regard to these types of decisions.
IF ANYONE WISHES TO CONTACT ME IN CONFIDENCE REGARDING ANY COLLEGE ISSUE, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT: