Several of us attended the town hall meeting that the student services building architects held. We were pleased with the process and hope that the openness continues. The building will be such a strong visual feature that input from the college community and the community-at-large is definitely a plus.

At the end of the meeting I spoke briefly with Dr. Hogue. On behalf of the League I want to thank him for his dedication to the college during his tenure. We have not always agreed on process but we all want what is best for the students.  We wish him well in his new, less stressful life. And per our conversation I have here an application for membership in the Fresno League of Women Voters. May your experience be beneficial to the Fresno League.

We have a couple of questions tonight.

First, a simple question with probably a complicated reply: How does the board plan to balance their budget?

Second, we understand that a majority of board members have attended the Ohone College Newark Campus liaison committee meetings and all have spoken at those meetings. We believe that to be a violation of the Brown Act.  As we understood it, the idea of these sub-committees was so that not all board members would have to attend each meeting. What happened to that idea? We strongly encourage you to adhere to the letter and the word of the Brown Act in these meetings.

Third, are minutes of these sub-committees available to the public?

Finally, we do not have any position that would cover the hiring or firing of counsel   to the college. We would however, encourage the board to give the new President all leeway possible in setting up his administration, including the choice of counsel. This act might give a signal to the faculty and staff of a willingness to cooperate from the very beginning of this new tenure.

Thank you for listening to our comments this evening.