McHenry County Blog

When the “old” McHenry County College Board renewed President Vicky Smith’s contract after rejecting pleas from incoming Board members to allow them to make that vote, left out was her salary.

The agenda the outgoing Board posted

“…recommended that the Board of Trustees approves extending Dr. Smith’s contract through June 30, 2015 and to set compensation as discussed in Closed Session” (emphasis added).

That’s a no-no.

So the salary wasn’t set.

And the new salary is supposed to start on July 1st.

Check here for the time and agenda.  Last month it was 6 PM.

With the controversy about whether all communications between McHenry County College staff and Trustees, I filed a Freedom of Information request asking for any contract language which would address that topic.

Look at the reply:

To create “a talent pipeline to replace the workers that are currently retiring…in the highly technical
field of manufacturing,” the McHenry County College Board voted 5-2 at its Thursday Board meeting to approve over $2.3 million in remodeling and construction of new space.

A last-minute alternative was brought up by newly-elected Trustee Tom Wilbeck as a result of his and Board President Ron Parrish’s three-hour visit with Vince Foglia and Vince Foglia, Jr., at their Sage Products plant in Cary.

Referring to the cost of President Vicky Smith’s proposal, Wilbeck observed, “It’s growing by the presentation.”

Wilbeck argued that “more of a conversation with the end users was needed.”

Talking with the Foglias led Wilbeck to the knowledge that “the robots have to be torn down and rebuilt every year” and that “the software is done remotely.”

“They claim to be the largest robotics user in the county [with] thirty-four technicians and need more,” Parish said.

He conveyed an offer for the college to run the robotics program in space at Sage.

They would “help us teach [students and allow them to] learn to apply in a broader context than we could do on our own.”

In addition, the Foglias offered “ancillary equipment, a real, real experience, jobs and interest in talking to us about internships…exactly what we’re wanting to do here.”

Parish reported the message he got was, “Nobody’s talked to us

“I’d just like us to explore one more alternative–

• space
• training
• internships
• ancillary equipment

Parish contended that the two programs–machine tooling and robotics–were being combined “out of necessity.”

He also pointed out that the Federal grant of $500,000 was “really $380,000.

“We could much more than that if we worked in a more cooperative way with Sage.

“I’m not ready to vote on it.”

“This isn’t something we’ve done overnight,” former Board President Mary Miller said. “I’m a little take back at what you and Mr. Wilbeck have [done].”

“I’m educating myself,” Wilbeck replied.

“I have a lot of manufacturing clients crying for this,” the CPA Miller continued.

“It’s upsetting.  There’s a reason why we need the program here.”

“It seems to me it should be here,” added newly-elected Board member Molly Walsh.

“I’m concerned that other people won’t come.”

President Vicky Smith was next.

“We’ve been meeting with manufacturers for the last two years and Sage has been at these meetings. It is possible the people coming to our meetings was the Operations Manager or the Human Resources Manager. [You were talking to people] higher in the food chain.

“This project has robotics component and a machining component.

“We have to serve both of them.

“We have been meeting separately with the plastics and the manufacturing people. We can invite them.”

Smith pointed out that the machine tool would be in the space where the Black Box [Theater] is.

Trustee Linda Liddell pointed out that there was “a time element with the grant.”

“We have to start by this fall,” Smith told the Board.

Speaking to Parish, Walsh said, “The project you are proposing would only take care of half of it.”

“I don’t want to put a half a million dollars at a third party location. It’s like moving nursing equipment to a hospital.

“We’re already doing student teaching on some manufacturing equipment,” she added.

Heather Zaccagnini, who is in charge of the program, noted, “We have internships already. We do it completely on site for Scott Forge.

“If Sage would partner with us, it would be fantastic.”

“I find it helpful to come to my teachers when I need help,” Student Trustee Michele Lambert observed.

“I feel it would be a really big distraction [to have classes off site].”

“If we go through with the recommendation, will Sage still get the pool of people with the training they need?” Trustee Chris Jenner asked.

“Internship is really low risk,” Zaccagnini answered.

When the roll was called, Parrish and Wilbeck voted, “No.”

Contacted after the meeting, Wilbeck said,

“I would like to continue working with the Sage folks. It looks like we will have to add that to the curriculum.The $2mil addition was passed 5-2. At this time I don’t see a compromise.”

There have been a fair amount of comments on the story about McHenry County College President Vicky Smith wanting all communications to and from employees to go through her.

An employee left a comment about his or her contract that readers might find interesting.

The gist of it is that the contract in question does not prohibit employees in that bargaining group from talking to MCC Board members.

Here’s the comment:

“I agree with so many bosses.. if the spirit is of efficiency and lean management- this is fine.

I”f it becomes a means to limit my communication with the Board as an employee- it is just plan wrong-

“I am a taxpayer and MY contract does not include any language that limits my contact with the trustees.

“If I have something I would like brought forward without a filter, I feel as a taxpayer I am free to do so.

“It does not matter what Vicky’s contract says-

“MINE does not limit me from access to the Trustees.”

At Thursday night’s meeting, the hottest topic was McHenry County College President Vicky Smith’s assertion that pretty much all questions about the college from Trustees had to go through her.

She cited language in her contract that said she was the “conduit.”

The specific language is

“The Board acknowledges that the President is the preferred conduit through which all internal constituencies of the College communicates with the Board and the preferred conduit through which the Board communicates to those internal constituencies.”

It wasn’t until “Member Comments” that Board President Ron Parrish broached the subject.

“We need some clarification with respect to communications between the Trustees and the staff and faculty.”

He asked if there were any guidelines.

“The protocol of the Board has been whenever [there are questions] that the Trustees ask the President of the institution,” Smith replied.

“It’s been the protocol at all the institutions I’ve worked at.

“The conduit is through the President.

“That doesn’t mean that a Trustee can’t stop and talk about general things before the college or the Board,” she continued.

“In fact, I’ve talked to attorneys about that.”

“The President’s office also knows the workflow, former President Mary Miller pointed out.

“We could be interrupting something they’ve been working on.

“I filter it through Vicky…I think that’s the route it should go.

Cynthia Kisser was next.

“I email Dr. Smith and carbon Ms. Kriegermeier, if I just want expedited notes from my last meeting, so Dr. Smith immediately knows what I want.

“I do the same thing if I want something from another staff member.

“I’m sending maybe two or three a day.

“I think it’s better to overload you, [rather than] making [staff members] think they may have to drop everything because [I call].”

“I do like it’s one control place,” Linda Liddell added.

“I love than,” Molly Walsh said.

“What’s the purpose of that?” Tom Wilbeck interjected.

“I’m an elected official. If I want an objective conversation with an employee, I want to go directly.”

“I think it’s a matter of the policies and practices that the Board has established,” one of the two attorneys sitting at the front table said.

She pointed out that Smith’s contract “names her as a conduit…I do think it means a conduit both ways.”

“If looking for special information, then I email it to Dr. Smith,” repeated Kisser. “If she tells me to call [so and so], she’s not in on the telephone call.

“I don’t interpret that I can’t have a conversation.

“Just one brief example,” Wilbeck explained. “Two people today called to find out if it [the meeting] was going to be web broadcast. [I called Laura.]”

“If would have been better if you had called me because it wasn’t Laura; it was Al.”

“In the private sector it just doesn’t happen that way and it impedes communication,” was Wilbeck’s rejoinder.

“I don’t want to be restricted when I ask a quick question.”

Liddell, calling upon her private enterprise experience, said, “The difference is that we are the Board of Directors.”

She explained that in business communications from directors “went to the chairman.”

Wilbeck still was disturbed at the effect the President would impose by passing on his questions.

“We are not administrators,” Kisser stressed.

“When I was CEO of a not-profit, I ran that non-profit. I constantly want to do that [here, but] it’s a different role.

“If you want to find out about web streaming [maybe there are] others who want to know.

“This has been a learning experience for me, too. I found it frustrating.

“When you see the information has already come together in Ms. Smith’s head, you find out [the answer. Calling staff members] just gets [out of hand].

“Let me give you my perspective,” Parrish said.

“Frankly, I object to his.”

Both Liddell and Kisser tried to talk, but Parrish said, “Please, may I talk?

“One of the things we’ve [he and Smith] been able to do is meet on a weekly basis.

“I have two concerns.

“First, the President of the college has a lot of things on her plate. We can get those answers personally.”

“Second,” looking at the staff at the table, “You people are our friends. I have a responsibility for the continuing growth of the college and I can’t do that with[out communicating]. I do not want you my friends to be inhibited.

“I really believe it’s our responsibility to maybe talk about an approach that would provide a little more openness and get back to you with a difference proposal.”

“The way we’ve been doing things has worked well over the last ten years,” former Board President Miller said. She reminded her colleagues it was in Dr. Smith’s contract.

“We need to wait for our Board retreat.”

“You object to my talking to Vicky?” Parrish asked rhetorically.

“I don’t think so.

“It means ignoring the public angst.

“The recent problems of communications, misconceptions, accusations we’ve had in the past year can be resolved with better communication,” Parrish concluded before moving to comments of other Trustees.

First Electric Newspaper is reporting today that only one resident showed up at Lake in the Hills’ Heineman Middle School to hear McHenry County College President Vicky Smith, Trustee Linda Lidell, Dean Jim Falco and Acadmic Affairs VP Tony Miksa.

Everything seems to be on hold awaiting the Power Wellness study later this summer.

And, in other MCC news, take a look at the following memo from the Northwest Herald about the $1,300 full-page ad featuring Smith right before the Board voted to extend her contract through the middle of 2015:

This past weekend when I posted the salary of McHenry County College President Vicky Smith, I wondered what the salaries of the school superintendents in McHenry County are.

A friend of McHenry County Blog did the research and sent me the information you see below:

At the Thursday night McHenry County College Board meeting, retiring Trustee Dennis Adams argued against extending MCC President Vicky Smith’s contract through June 30, 2015.

“I don’t think any harm would come until the end of June,” he said, adding that he thought the new Board members would come to realize Smith should be retained.

“It has the appearance of impropriety.  It will have a long life…It is an affront to the new Board members.  It has nothing to do with Ms. Smith’s performance.  It has to do with the process.

“It is not urgent.  It doesn’t have to happen today.”

Before any vote, the contract already ran through June 30, 2014.

After the contract was extended on a 5-2 vote, with outgoing Board members Barbara Walters and Carol Larson being joined by Cynthia Kisser, Linda Liddell and Mary Miller, a meeting was held to install the three newly-elected members–Molly Walsh, Chris Jenner and Tom Wilbeck.

In her last comments Walters complained, “It is now political.  This [MCC] is about students, not moving up the [political ladder].”

Somehow that bothered me.

As a Republican Precinct Committeeman, I knocked on doors in my Algonquin 7 precinct the weekend before the election supporting MCC candidates.

But I also was one of two people in the room that attended the meeting in 1967 when McHenry County College got its start.  (Iris Bryan was the other.)

And, you know who called that meeting?

A Republican Precinct Committeeman–Cal Skinner, Sr.

I was McHenry County Treasurer at the time, certainly a political position.

So, I hope I will be pardoned for pointing out that if “political” people had not started the ball rolling, MCC would not have come into existence in 1968 when a ten-cent per $100 of assessed valuation referendum was passed.

My father served on the first MCC Board.

Later he was elected to the McHenry County Board.

Did he serve on the MCC Board as a stepping stone to higher office?

Considering my father came within a couple of hundred votes of winning the County Auditor’s race against the McHenry County Board Chairman in 1964, the MCC Board service certainly wasn’t a prelude to running for county office.

When I spoke before the installation meeting, I pointed out that the old Board’s action would result in more negative publicity for the College.

And, as you can see below, my prediction was fulfilled:

The McHenry County College Board members who lost and retired left office last night, but not before two (the two who lost their elections) did their best to reward not quite three-year President Vicky Smith for her efforts.

If you want to know what happened at Thursday night’s meeting in the outgoing Board’s last gasp, plus the shift of power when the newly-elected Board members took office, you can read McHenry County Blog’s article here.

The old Board majority (with Ron Parrish and Dennis Adams in the minority) want to extend Smith’s contract and raise her salary.

They achieved half of that goal.

The contract was extended through June30, 2015.

But they didn’t get to raise her salary.

That question will be up to the newly reconstituted Board.

To start that discussion, I asked for the current salary of Smith.

MCC told me it is $204,867.

I don’t know if that makes her the highest paid public official in McHenry County, but it might.

If anyone finds a school superintendent with a higher salary, please tell readers in the comment section.

Below is the report upon which the old McHenry County College Board voted for 5-2.

Well, it’s not quite what the Board voted on.

The Board did not set President Vicky Smith’s compensation.

Read the report carefully.

Voting in favor were the two longest serving Board members who lost the election–Barbara Walters and Carol Larson. They were joined by holdovers Mary Miller, Linda Liddell and Cynthia Kisser.

Voting against extending MCC President Vicky Smith’s contract through the middle of 2015 were Ron Parrish and Dennis Adams. It was almost Adams’ last vote since he retired from the Board.

Do you see the problem?

Read the recommendation:

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Board of Trustees approves extending Dr. Smith’s contract through June 30, 2015 and to set compensation as discussed in Closed Session.

Do you note that the report does not tell the public the salary and benefits?

I surely did and was ready to file complaints with both the McHenry County State’s Attorney and the Illinois Attorney General about the seeming violation of the Open Meetings Act had the Board approved the report as presented in the Board Packet.

But the old members didn’t do that.

After the closed session, undoubtedly upon the advice of their attorneys, the Board considered a motion which excluded compensation

So, the outgoing Board got half of what it wanted.

Smith’s contract has been extended another twelve months after June 30. 2014, but her salary has not been set.

That will be up to the carryover Board members and those newly-elected and now sworn in:

• Molly Walsh
• Chris Jenner
• Tom Welbeck

A new Student Trustee named Michele Lambert was previously sworn in.

There was public comment from 6:30 to 7:45.  Again there was not enough room for the taxpaying public.  Overflow folks were directed to the auditorium way across campus.

But, there were almost a row and half out of the three rows of chairs reserved for MCC employees who certainly could have sat in chairs outside until their turn in the program came.

The commenters were divided into three parts:

• Those supporting an extension of Smith’s contract
• Those opposed to an extension of Smith’s contract
• Those supporting the theater program whose 80-seat Black Box Theater seems destined to become the location of a greatly expanded robotics program

I’d love to give you a blow-by-blow account of the comments, but the new Board didn’t adjourn until 12:10 Friday.

Suffice is to say that both Chris Jenner and Molly Walsh asked the old Board not to extend Smith’s contract.

Jenner pointed out that there were nearing three months for the holdover Board members to explain to the new Trustees why Smith deserved to have her contract extended.

“I don’t believe any of us have passed judgment on Dr. Smith.”

“I really feel strongly that the incoming Board should be making the decision on terms and working conditions,” Walsh added as the last one to provide public comment.

“An action tonight is really disregarding the new Board members.

“Lets work together.”

Their pleas were ignored.

Very shortly after the old Board took its last gasp by voting for Smith’s contract extension, the new Board was sworn in.  That was at 10:45 Thursday night.

Then, the tables were turned.

Jenner nominated Ron Parrish to be the new Board President.  Wilbeck provided the second.

Liddell nominated Kisser.  I believe Miller seconded that nomination.

Three to three.

The deciding vote seemed to belong to newcomer Walsh.

A secret ballot was taken and the vote came out 4-3 in favor of Parrish, who had been very much the minority member on the old Board.

For Vice Chair, it was Wilbeck vs. Liddell.

3-3 with, I presume, Walsh breaking the tie in favor of Liddell.

Wilbeck nominated Jenner for Secretary and no one else wanted the job so he got it.