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