Says he received College concession the day he began legal proceedings; notes Attorney General may be continuing to investigate College use of what appears to many as political material for Governing Board members; asks Board to reconsider wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars

Paul Chevalier

Paul Chevalier explained to the Governing Board at its meeting on the Verde Campus October 8 the reasons he began legal action in Yavapai County Superior Court against the College to prevent it from mailing out what some consider politically tainted campaign material prior to the November election.  On the day he began action in Superior Court, the College agreed in a letter to his lawyer to hold up on the mailing until after the election.

Chevalier also asked the Board to reconsider the whole idea of wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars on the mailing at its next Governing Board meeting.

You may view Mr. Chevalier’s explanation to the Board in the video below.

Wills claims postcards were “informational only” but does not want to be “perceived to influence an election”

Politically tainted postcards created by the  Yavapai Community College marketing department for individual Governing Board members, which the Blog is told are at the printer’s and were being prepared to send out prior to the November election, have been put on hold. This is  according to a letter sent by Yavapai Community College President Penelope Wills dated October 2, 2018.

The Chavalier campaign did not receive actual notice of the decision until late afternoon October 4. Board member candidate Connie Harris gave no indication that such a decision had been made at a debate held at 1 p.m. Thursday, October 4 on the Verde Campus, where the issue of the use of the postcard was raised by Mr. Chevalier. 

The decision by Wills to withhold the mailing until after the election was in response to a request from attorney Joseph Montedonico, representing the Chevalier campaign. He wrote to Wills and the Governing Board September 23, 2018 demanding that they cease and desist from sending out the postcards prior to the election.  

In his letter to Wills, attorney Montedonico questioned the legal and ethical basis for mailing the postcard just prior to the November election.  He suggested, among other things, that the mailing may violate Arizona law regarding the use of public funds to influence the outcome of an election.  

When Governing Board member Deb McCasland learned about the postcard, its content and mailing date, she asked that the Board schedule a special meeting to discuss the legality of the mailing in the context of the upcoming election.  McCasland indicated that she was concerned about the  mailing because it may appear to some voters to be a political postcard supporting the two current members of the Governing Board who are up for election. She sought a full discussion about the issue. She received no response to her request.

On Thursday the Chevalier campaign, after receiving no reply for several days from Wills or the Chair of the Governing Board to attorney Montedonico’s letter, began preparing to bring legal action against the College and the Governing Board in Yavapai Superior Court.  (As noted above, the campaign did not learn of the College decision until late Thursday afternoon.)  However, in view of Wills decision to withhold the mailing until after the election, the legal action now appears moot.

Wills wrote in her letter to Montedonico “that these mailings were only communication with our constituents and in no way implied any election influence. Out of respect to all of our constituents, we would never want to appear, or be perceived to, influence an election. We believe the best plan of action is not to mail the newsletters at this time.”

Over the past several days, the Chevalier and Wayne Meddaugh campaigns reached out to numerous legislators and others for assistance in stopping the politically tainted postcard from being mailed prior to the election. It is not known whether some of the many persons they contacted may have played an influential role in the final decision made by Wills.

It is noted that Wills says nothing in her letter to attorney Montedonico about consulting the Governing Board. The postcards are supposed to be under the control of the Governing Board members. 

If elected, he promises to demand transparency and no longer be a “rubber stamp” for the Administration

Wayne Meddaugh

Wayne Meddaugh, who is running for the District #1 seat on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board against Ray Sigafoos, has received major endorsements from local legislators and County supervisors.  Among those endorsing Mr. Meddaugh are:  State Senator Karen Fann, and both Representatives Noel Campbell and David Stringer.  In addition, he is endorsed by three Yavapai County Supervisors: Tom Thurman, Craig Brown, and Jack Smith.

Mr. Meddaugh was born in Michigan, attended a parochial school, public high school, community college, and graduated from Wayne State University. Following graduation from College, in 1969, he accepted the position as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. While with the Secret Service, his unit was assigned to protect five sitting Presidents, candidates for the presidency, and other elected officials. Among other assignments, he supervised the security for Ronald Reagan at the 1980 Republican Convention in Detroit, Michigan.

When not assigned to protection, he investigated financial crimes involving the U.S. Treasury. He was also a member of the Organized Crime Task Force and received numerous awards for investigations against organized crime. After retiring from the Secret Service, he took on  a number of different security positions including working with the Office of Inspector General supervising financial crime investigations. He later worked with the Air Marshals’ Service as a supervisor to assist in its buildup following 9/11. 

After retiring in Prescott in  2004, he volunteered at the college’s performance hall, and became a College legacy donor. He states that he deeply believes in the community college system, especially because it offers so much more than just the opportunity to provide the initial academic background that will allow you to transfer to a four year institution.

Despite ethical and legal issues, College planning to mail postcards for Sigafoos and Harris to all County households prior to the election; Prescott desperate to control the outcome

Commentary

The outcome of the election for the District #3 Verde Valley representative on the College Governing Board will dictate whether millions of Valley taxpayer dollars are returned to the Valley over the next several years to begin serious post-secondary education development. If the current incumbent is successful in her quest for the seat, the Valley taxes will most likely continue to flow unchallenged over Mingus in support of new projects on the west side of the County.

Prescott political interests are acutely aware of the threat to their power the current challenger poses. Consequently, they are hard at work to ensure that Prescott control is maintained, and the current incumbent elected.

The first step in Prescott’s goal of controlling the outcome of the election was to tap the talents of a top fundraiser on the College Foundation to help direct the current District #3 incumbent’s campaign. That fundraiser is a Prescott resident and the Second Vice Chair of the Yavapai Community College Foundation, which is based on the Prescott Campus.  The fundraiser is an executive on the College Foundation Board and sits on the Board with College President Penelope Wills. It is believed that Wills and the incumbent have a very close relationship and there is suspicion that Wills may have played a role in this first step.

Because of the incumbent’s voting and oral participation record while a Board member, most believe she is a sure bet to allow the current rip-off of the Valley to continue. It is noteworthy to recall she was appointed to the position on the Board only 18 months ago despite not living in the Verde Valley for the normal one-year period of time.

The second step to influence the outcome of the election and protect Prescott interests is subtle.  This involves a newsletter in postcard format that Wills is currently planning to print and send to all taxpayers in the Verde Valley just before the November election.  It has been described as “postcards featuring a current board member, their photo and text. It definitely looks like a promo piece for a board member.”

This is a subtle political effort because the content contains two normally innocuous questions. However, in the context of the November election, they offer the incumbent an unchallenged political platform with a photograph and an opportunity to extoll her virtues: real or imagined.  The rhetorical questions the incumbent is answering on the postcard are: “What do you want your constituents to know about you? And “What are the next items you hope to pursue in the new year?”

The newsletter/postcard and response to those questions provides the incumbent with a political platform to boast without challenge.  The same platform is not given to the current challenger. It’s a clever Prescott ploy being played on the Verde Valley, ironically using Verde Valley taxpayer funds.

Wills’ and her chums will no doubt use as cover for sending the newsletter/postcard something like the Board voted to send a newsletter (but the timing issue was never discussed). Or, it must be sent in the fall.

Recall that the College has build an indoor therapy pool for Prescott residents.  It has also built a 1,100 seat dinner theatre with wine bars for the retirees and a seven court professional tennis complex that is used overwhelmingly by retirees and the local tennis association. These are some of the interests the College built using Valley money that Prescott folks are protecting.

This election will decide whether Verde Valley taxpayer money for non-academic and other programs will continue to be splurged on the west side of Mingus Mountain. Or, the College will focus for the first time in 50 years on post-secondary development in the Verde Valley in a meaningful way. 

Wake up Verde Valley.  You are about to be ripped off again.

Bob Oliphant

Second District Yavapai County Supervisor endorses him for District #3 seat; Clarkdale Councilor Bill Regner adds his name to growing list

Paul Chevalier

Tom Thurman

The endorsements for Paul Chevalier continue to pile up.  The latest endorsements came from Second District Yavapai County Supervisor Thomas Thurman and Clarkdale Councilor Bill Regner.  Chevalier already had received endorsements from Third District Supervisor Randy Garrison, three former Yavapai College Governing Board members who represented District #3, Jane Russell Winiecki, the Chairwoman of the Yavapai-Apache Nation, and many, many others.

Harris says absolutely “no;” west County representatives appear to agree with Harris view

Governing Board Candidate Paul Chevalier addressed the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at its September 11 meeting to wait until after the November election to make the final selection for the new College President.  Candidate Connie Harris a few days later at a community election forum in the Village of Oak Creek make it clear she would never agree to the delay. 

Chevalier argued that if two new Board members are selected by voters at the November election, they should be a part of the Board that makes a final decision on the new College president.  He said that would be fair, that it would be the “essence of our democracy.” 

Chevalier also argued that if the current challengers win, the public is saying they want a “change” in how the College is operating.  That would probably mean a “change” in some of the duties of the new president.  “So it may be a totally different, or partially different,” college president than the current Governing Board would select,” he said.

  When specifically asked if she agreed with Mr. Chevalier, Ms. Harris, who was appointed 18 months ago to the Board and is running against Mr. Chevalier,  stated unequally that she did not agree with his position. She felt the current process was sufficient and she had no hesitation in selecting a new College president if she lost the election.  

There is no reason to believe that the west-county members of the Governing Board support Mr. Chevalier’s arguments.

Mr. Chevalier’s address to the Governing Board appears on the video above.