College Board Gives Pope its Blessing

By Mark McGuigan
Staff Writer

Nov. 4 -- In a chamber overflowing with students and staff, the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees bucked the recommendations of faculty and classified employees Monday night selecting business leader Graham Pope to fill a vacant trustee seat.

An accountant with more than 30 years experience, Pope was one of five finalists -- including major community leaders -- competing to fill a vacancy on the seven-member panel created by the resignation of Trustee Patrick Nichelson.

"A great honor has been bestowed upon me," Pope, a former president of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce board, said in a prepared statement. "I want to make sure all college constituencies understand I'm interested in dialogue."

"He (Pope) came across as very responsible and knowledgeable," said Board Chair Herb Roney. "He's committed to the mission of the college. He brings an independent and objective view to his approach.

"He's been well connected in the college and in the City," Roney said. "I thought he brought a wide range of knowledge and ability and community points of view."

Pope was the only candidate to receive the necessary four votes from the six seated trustees, with retired Judge David Finkel, a former Santa Monica City Councilman, finishing second with two votes. Former School Board President Pam Brady received a symbolic nod from the student trustee.

Board Member Nancy Greenstein and Annette Shamey supported Finkel but changed their votes “as a sign of camaraderie” when it was clear that Pope was the victor.

“He (Pope) has a background in accounting, a strength that’s welcome,” said Greenstein, the former co-chair of Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights, of which Finkel is a longtime leader. “I think people will appreciate someone with that expertise. People will listen to him.”

Pope was the only candidate of the five hopefuls not endorsed by the Faculty Association and Classified Employees Union after failing to grant an interview with students and staff prior to Monday night’s meeting.

“I’m not sure what was on their minds in terms of criteria used to make their selection,” Barbara Baird, Chair of the Communications Department, told The Lookout. “It gives the appearance of the trustees not being too influenced in what faculty and students recommend.”

The employees -- who staged a picket before the meeting -- have been embroiled in a battle with college administrators over layoffs made by the board to balance a budget crippled by historic State funding cuts.

In June, college employees cast a vote of no confidence in President Piedad F. Robertson and asked the administration to give teachers a greater say in campus governance. The faculty also sued the college over the layoffs, which college officials project will save $4 million.

Under the cost-cutting plan, the board of trustees slashed more than 50 part-time and full-time positions, including eight full-time faculty members, and accepted the early retirement of another 27 workers.

During Monday's three-and-a-half hour selection process, the board interviewed each of the finalists separately, asking the remaining candidates to wait their turn in a different room.

Questions -- which were provided in advance -- ranged from “Why do you feel you are the right person to take on this challenge?” to “What do you see as the major issues facing Santa Monica College and the community college system?”

In the end, Pope was chosen from the list of five finalists that also included Bayside District Board member Rob Rader and William Winslow, who made an unsuccessful bid for the board in 2002.

Pope’s expertise could prove useful in the coming months as Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger’s battle with a projected $12 billion budget deficit may once again have repercussions on education in Santa Monica, college officials said.

Before serving on the next regularly scheduled board meeting, Pope is set to resign from the Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee and Santa Monica College Foundation Board in light of his new position, according to college representatives.