BREAKING: Duffy urges Paterson intervention at MCC
At the D&C Editorial blog:
Mayor Duffy is mad and he’s not taking it anymore.
In a lengthy telephone conversation this evening, the mayor told me he has become disgusted with the way the Monroe Community College Board of Trustees handled the search for the college’s presidency.
He says that he will call Gov. Paterson tomorrow and urge him to intervene. Duffy, who has until now tried to stay clear of partisan politics, says he’s taking the gloves off. He called the antics of the mostly Republican MCC board political poison. “The whole thing is old time , smokey, backroom politics.”
Before going public, he left Maggie a “lengthy voicemail message.” Duffy also said that the MCC mess made him consider resigning from the governing board of the county-controlled Renaissance Square project.
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Well, I’m glad to hear this.
I think I heard comments on XXI this afternoon from him that made it sound like he thought Kessler had been turned down because he (Kessler) had ties to Duffy.
If that’s his main beef, I’m not overly sympathetic. While Kessler may have been marginally more qualified than Smith, my sense was that neither one was truly qualified for the position.
Again, two *qualified* candidates had been identified by both search committees. One of them should be offered the position. Anything less is dereliction of duty.
And raising issues with MCC, Maggie, Renaissance square, and the over-politicization of everything in County Government at this late date has a ring of “shocked, shocked to hear there is gambling going on in the casino” about it.
Whatever his reasons, and whatever the timing, better late than never. I’m always glad to see a Dem in power showing some leadership.
Smackdown! Hoorah Duffy!
Score: Duffy +2 / Brooks -4
I think the issue here isn’t so much qualifications as whether or not the person is completely loyal to Maggie or not. The feeling is that Smith is and Kessler isn’t.
[...] « BREAKING: Duffy urges Paterson intervention at MCC [...]
My concern is that it looks to me like there is at least the potential for a bait and switch here– ok, you all objected to Smith, let’s compromise on Kessler.
Kessler is not qualified for this position. Running Burger King’s and part time teaching at a dissimilar institution doesn’t make him qualified to run (!!!!) MCC.
Picture the reverse: Kessler is looking to hire someone to run his restaurant businesses. An applicant appears before him and says: “See, I’m manager of a local theater troupe. And we have a snack bar. In my last job, I worked the concession in the theater. And when I was in high school, I cleaned the bathrooms and mopped the floors in a diner. So I have everything you’re looking for: management experience, food service experience, and ground-up knowledge of the restaurant business”.
How likely do you think Kessler is to hire that candidate?
Kessler has a JD– I’ll agree that from an academic degree perspective, that’s sufficient.
He has management experience of a much smaller organization in an unrelated field. I’ll admit that a successful business person could be an attractive candidate to lead a college– but preferably, someone who had run a larger business with a similar number of employees, and also in a field that was more, let’s say, cerebrally inclined.
Finally, he has taught, part-time, at UR. That’s interesting and related but not nearly enough qualification to call him “an academic”.
If the board really wanted a “local candidate”, they would have added someone who worked in academic administration– provost, dean, vice president– at one of the many local institutions of higher education.
And yes, Smith would be a much worse selection.
Yeah, I thought that about the bait and switch at first as well. But after Kessler shredded them in that City interview…I’m not so sure. I don’t know if he’s a great choice or not, but he doesn’t seem to have the cronyism taint that Smith does.