College board member subject of complaint

Rebecca Norden-Bright, The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·2 min read

Three applicants to Clatsop Community College’s budget committee have submitted a complaint against college board member Tim Lyman for remarks made during an April 11 board meeting.

At the meeting, the college board debated appointing people from the community to three vacancies on the budget committee. Lyman said that the board should extend the deadline for applications, arguing that the applicants were not qualified to serve.

“I did a little bit of research on these folks on the internet and I don’t see anything that qualifies any of them as having financial expertise,” Lyman said.

Lyman also said he had a “candidate in mind” and questioned whether the board was obligated to fill the vacancies.

Under Oregon statute, public bodies are required to establish a budget committee consisting of an equal number of board members and people from the community, unless the governing body cannot find enough people willing to serve. Budget committee members must be qualified voters of the district, according to a guide from the state Department of Revenue, but are not expected to have any specific qualifications or financial background.

The applicants — Temese Szalai, Richard Winn and Marcy Dunning, all Astoria residents — submitted a complaint to the college board on Sunday, alleging that Lyman’s statements were “disrespectful” and in violation of the board’s code of ethics.

“There was no reason to delay these budget committee appointments in order to expand the candidate pool once the original deadline for applications had passed and eligible community members expressed willingness to serve,” the applicants wrote.

The complaint also accuses Lyman of attempting to “hand select” the members of the budget committee.

“Such behavior is not in the best interests of the college or the community it serves,” the complaint continues. “It is also not in the spirit of local budget law, which is intended to create a fair budget process with representation from the wider community in addition to the elected Board of Education.”

At a special meeting on Monday, the college board voted to form an ad hoc committee — composed of Sheila Roley, Lloyd Mueller and Ashley Flukinger — to investigate the complaint and report back to the board.

The board also voted to appoint the applicants to the budget committee, having received no additional applications in the extended period.

Lyman could not be reached for comment.