For years, the Pima Community College Board of Governors squandered the public’s trust and the public’s money. Finally, residents are taking action against the leader of that Board, Scott Stewart, and Board member, Marty Cortez.
Two recall committees, the Recall Stewart Committee and the Recall Cortez Committee, have been filed with the Pima County Elections Department. The groups intend to replace Pima Community College (PCC) Board of Governors members Scot Stewart and Marty Cortez, whom they consider to bear significant responsibility for the school being placed in danger of losing its accreditation.
In April 2013, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the accrediting organization for PCC, issued a report that detailed many egregious actions and places responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the Governing Board. The report called the board “dysfunctional.”
Over the last six months, a series of meetings with Governing Board members have occurred. Yet despite pleas from educators, students and community leaders for them to resign, the Board chose to continue governing in the same short-sighted fashion that has created the crisis.
The calls for resignation to the Flores-era board members, Brenda Even, Marty Cortez, Scott Stewart and David Longoria have been ignored. For that reason, the time has come to take community wide action.
To begin that process, a recall committee in District 4 to recall Scott Stewart is being led by Cort Chalfant, a Tucson resident and local businessman. The Recall Cortez Committee in District 5 is chaired by former state legislator Phil Lopes.
“Scott Stewart is our highest priority for recall,” said Cort Chalfant. “Stewart knew about the allegations of sexual harassment for more than a year but ignored the complaints and failed to take responsible action. His reprehensible behavior demands recall.”
“We encourage the public to read the full Higher Learning Commission report. It is a scathing indictment of the failure to govern by these four board members,” Phil Lopes said. “Marty Cortez has served on the board for the longest and thus should have stopped these morally, ethically and fiscally wrong decisions by the board. She has failed to protect the very people she serves.”
The petition drive in each district will launch on January 7, 2013. Each committee has 120 days from filing to collect and submit signatures.
The old saying goes that even a broken clock is right twice a day, and that broken clock, in the case of the PCC Board recall, is the highly questionable Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC). SALC primarily supports the interests of large corporations and rarely represents the interests of small businesses and taxpayers. It is unclear why they have thrown their support behind the recall, but the support is welcome by those who support a healthy and transparent educational system.
One former Pima County area board member said, “I am suspicious of the SALC involvement, but since Scott Stewart joined this Board, the Board has been completely out of touch with the community and student body. I hope the community will monitor the people behind the recall and not support any SALC endorsed candidates.”