Legislators writing guest editorial used faulty information
An editorial published in the Verde Independent on November 1, 2016 contained false and misleading information about Yavapai College’s commitment to the Verde Valley. Click here to read the editorial. The editorial was allegedly authored by the two Arizona District 6 representatives, Bob Thorpe and Brenda Barton.
The Blog suspects that they either did little or no research before they jointly authored the editorial or were intentionally provided misleading information by a source they thought they could trust. Either way, the editorial was incredibly inaccurate.
In a letter to the Verde Independent of November 6, 2016, Mr. Paul Chevalier, the head of the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee that has studied the College’s commitment to the Valley for the past two years, commented on the lack of accuracy in the editorial allegedly written by Thorpe and Barton. He wrote:
Editor:
Re: Commentary by Reps. Bob Thorpe and Brenda Barton: This story sounds impressive but the facts are wrong and I wonder why the political authors didn’t do some fact checking before putting their names to it.
I chaired the recently shut down Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee for its full existence of just under two years. Our Committee, after much study, found very different facts from those quoted in the article above.
The facts we uncovered showed that, with the exception of a two-year period when extra money was used to finally remodel a decaying campus in Clarkdale, less than half the money annually paid a) by the taxpayers of the Verde Valley and b) by the students for tuition and fees for classes on the Verde Campus, are used in any way for the benefit the Verde Valley.
The 89-percent figure quoted by the authors was ONLY for those two years when the campus was significantly remodeled. The fact is the Verde Valley is Yavapai College’s major “cash cow.” They use our money on the other side of the mountain.
Secondly the $1.5 million quoted as required to create/maintain a separate administrative college is a number the College President came up with in response to a question at a DGB meeting without any kind of a study to back it up.
This is in contrast with what the public of the Verde Valley have requested several times, which is an independent study to determine the costs of having a separate administrative college for the Verde Valley.
This was requested some months ago by Al Filardo, who was our representative on the DGB (and just resigned in frustration), then it was again requested through our committee formally supporting Al’s request and, most recently, it was requested again through the Verde Valley Forum, NAU is equipped to do such a study but the College District Governing majority from the other side of the mountain has refused it.
People who write stories citing facts, especially politicians, should fact check with more than one source before putting their names to the story.
These facts are so incorrect that it feels like two good representatives have just been used by whoever gave them this misinformation.
They have a right to be upset.
Paul Chevalier
You may read Mr. Chevalier’s letter in the Verde Independent by clicking here.