When I first moved to the Santa Clarita Valley in 2012, I quickly felt at home with the community feel, the sense of service and people being so friendly and warm. I also learned quickly that one of Santa Clarita’s best assets was our College of the Canyons.
Many people told me that College of the Canyons was the “Jewel in the Crown” of the community.
Our college is now at a crossroads. Whether you agree with the decision over the former chancellor or not, the harsh reality is that COC is now being used as a political plaything and the consequence of bringing politics into the college is not going to help the people who matter the most, the students.
Sadly, many of us saw this coming in previous elections when the unions spent masses of money on a 19-year-old socialist being elected. The current board, many who are standing down, have left it to the last minute to move on the chancellor. Instead of having the guts and showing leadership, they let this drag on and on. They did not have a well-thought-out succession plan or long-term plan of action as our college is now in a state of shambles.
Whether we like it or not, COC is going to change, and I fear that if their successors follow the same path then the college will be on the path to ruin.
When an organization undergoes drastic change, it is incumbent on leaders to be able to explain the change and to take people on a journey. The best leaders listen to feedback and then bring people together. It is deeply ironic that a board that justified the results of a staff survey is now overseeing a college paralyzed by gossip and innuendo and we have college trustees inept at basic leadership.
Before I go further, I want to stress that I have nothing but admiration for the hard-working faculty and staff. I feel for them. They want to be able to do their jobs in peace. They are not getting the support they need from the trustees and the people who will suffer the most are the students.
I note there are candidates running who are “the faculty choice.” These union-backed candidates are in danger of repeating past mistakes because the fundamentals are that the faculty, however hard-working and dedicated, work for the students, not for the unions. Several of these candidates have been in Democratic clubs and committees. Within the Santa Clarita Valley we all remember the Democrats splitting into two, rudderless and internally squabbling groups.
Well, do we want more of this at the college? These people are perfectly nice but are they what the college needs? Is their solution of more socialism the answer?
The Signal reported earlier this week that, “College of the Canyons employees are permitted to wear campaign materials, such as buttons or T-shirts, while teaching or performing other duties while on campus, according to Eric Harnish, spokesman for the college.”
Do we really want that level of political division at our college?
Do we want college trustees bought and paid for by unions pushing political agendas on students?
Or do we want college trustees who are local businesspeople, local volunteers, local nonprofit leaders who seek to bring communities together, not divide them? Who seek to uplift, not attack? Who seek to put the students at the heart of decision making?
I am fortunate enough to know many of the candidates and I mean no disrespect to those who are on the left, but they’re misguided and don’t offer a fresh start and real change.
Who does?
For a start, look no further than Sharlene Johnson for Trustee Area 4. Sharlene has the business experience, organizational skills and nonprofit experience to lead. More importantly she believes in servant leadership.
Her platform:
• Enhance student support services.
• Expand access to quality education.
• Foster community partnership.
• Ensure transparent and accountable governance.
It is rooted in putting students first. In providing clear and sustainable leadership. In ensuring that the college does not become a political football.
I have known Sharlene for a decade. I have seen her in action. I have seen her always preach advocacy, always preach tolerance for opposing views, to focus on what unites us rather than divides us and to show that actions speak louder than words. Talk is cheap. Sharlene delivers.
If we want to save our college, we need Sharlene Johnson for District 4!
Neil Fitzgerald is an international nonprofit leader having served in the U.S., U.K. and globally for various nonprofit and charity boards. He served as a conservative council member in the U.K. and as a campaign manager. “Right Here, Right Now” regularly appears on Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
