OPEN MEETINGS — An editorial in the Contra Costa Times asks who voted which way in the recent decision of a community college district board not to renew the expiring contract of its chancellor, discovered in repeated acts of pursuing his and friends' interests at public expense, which the editorial summarizes.
Trustees
of the Peralta Community College District have decided to replace
Chancellor Elihu Harris when his contract expires in June. Let's hope
that this time they hire an educator to lead the district, not another
political hack.But, before we move on, there's one nagging
detail. District voters deserve to know which trustees in closed
session supported letting Harris go. They're entitled to know if their
representative understood the seriousness of Harris' abusive actions
and supported ousting him. They deserve to know if their trustee has
the good judgment necessary for the job.
The Ralph M. Brown Act requires local bodies to report any action taken in closed session to "dismiss, accept the resignation of, or otherwise affect the employment status of a public employee" who has no administrative appeal rights, identifying the title of the employee affected as well as "the vote or abstention on that action of every member present"and to make this report in public at the same meeting, following the closed session.
