Vision for Metro
Omaha World-Herald Editorial
May 1, 2008
The Metropolitan Community y College Board of Governors is charged with overseeing the institution’s vital mission of providing a wide variety of educational opportunities for its students. Over the past year, that mission has seemed secondary to board infighting.
To do its work properly, the college needs to have a united, forward looking board, as well as a strong, independent administration. The board must select a new president in the next year. To do that job well and return stability, the board must adopt a new, positive mind-set. Voters can begin that change at the ballot box this month.
One incumbent who retained a level head during the controversy, Patrick Leahy, is worthy of continued support by voters. The WorldHerald is not extending editorial support to two other incumbents, Fred Conley andJ ohnCorrigan.
During the recent controversy, Conley stood out for his vociferous approach and intransigent attitude. In a World-Herald interview, Conley expressed no regrets about any of his actions or rhetoric during the dispute. So a vote for Conley would encourage the Metro board to continue down the path it has followed over the past year.
Corrigan, the third incumbent, deserves a mixed review. Before and after the flare-up over outgoing President Jo Ann McDowell, Corrigan displayed constructive habits as a board member. During the turmoil over the past year, however, he veered into a mind-set in which his anti-McDowell fervor became wildly counterproductive for the board.
*** Editorial support in the primary goes to these candidates: District 1 includes western Douglas County and part of Dodge County. The candidates who stand out are incumbent Leahy and Carol Russell.
Leahy, an HDR architect and project manager, is seeking his third term on the board. Overall, Leahy generally has been a man in the middle, working to bring the divided board together.
He has a grasp of where the board should be going— toward becoming the centered, policy-setting body it should be. Leahy has worked hard on updating the college’s master and strategic plans. His ideas about capital fundraising could contribute to Metro’s future.
Russell has a distinguished history of involvement in this community. She has served on dozens of boards in the metropolitan area, many of them involving families or education, frequently in leadership roles. She well explains effective ways to work with others on boards. Her observations indicate that she has both the ability and the nerve to step in with guidance if board members revert to counterproductive wrangling.
She has some fresh ideas that could help Metro regain public and donor trust. A new marketing campaign, she said, would be a good idea. Board members also need to cultivate potential donors, who may have been turned off by recent events.
*** District 2 is an irregular area in eastern Omaha and Douglas County between the Missouri River and 114th Street. Its candidates with the top qualifications are Roger Humphries and Nick Lemek.
Humphries has had extensive experience on community boards, including the Omaha Food Bank and Omaha Neighborhood Courage. The U.S. Postal Service public relations official is a board member and past president of Downtown Omaha Inc. and headed the Benson Neighborhood Association for 10 years.
He suggested that if elected, he would encourage the development of a strong, active alumni association, something not now a Metro priority. The group could actively pursue fundraising and boost school spirit and loyalty.
Humphries wants to see more outreach by the college — to high schoolers, middle schoolers and even elementary pupils. He sees the college as a factor in the economic development of north Omaha.
Lemek is a recent University of Nebraska at Kearney graduate who received EMT training at Metro. He just joined the Omaha Fire Department. The enthusiastic and idealistic candidate argued that what the Metro board needs is a spirit of teamwork.
He said he has spent much of his life promoting teamwork, during his student days and his time with a Lincoln ambulance service. He wants to build on Metro’s excellent allied health programs and maintain a flexible, forward-looking attitude so college administrators can quickly respond to community needs. *** District 3 includes part of Washington County and an area of west central Omaha. Voters would do well to support Tony Sorrentino and Jef fAnderson.
Omaha businessman Sorrentino is a certified public accountant and a lawyer and is associated with an insurance consulting and brokerage firm. He is a veteran of boards in Omaha and Nebraska, including the Governor’s Medicaid Reform Task Force. He has had leadership positions in the Nebraska Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Sorrentino offers positive ideas to benefit Metro. For instance, the college needs to aggressively seek grants for its programs and activities. He also wants the school to expand its online offerings to share the expertise of its faculty. Sorrentino demonstrates a keen analytical mind, practical business acumen and a level-headed temperament.
Anderson is business manager of Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 3 in Omaha; he also served as training coordinator for the union. During that time, he worked closely with Metro on a sheet metal apprentice program that also allowed students to get a degree. He has been active in the community, including a threeyear stint as president of the Keystone Little League.
He sees tremendous opportunities for Metro to expand its vocational educational programs. Metro needs additional sources of revenue, he said, noting that the college has not tapped the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for funds. Nor, apparently, has it applied for rural education grants.
Metro Community College must look to voters to begin the process of changing the culture of its Board of Governors to one of constructive oversight and action. The World Herald believes that in the primary, the appropriate choices to do so are Patrick Leahy, Carol Russell, Roger Humphries, Nick Lemek, Tony Sorrentino and Jeff Anderson. Community college board needs to end bad habits; six candidates stand out.