Simmons apologizes to Sierra College community

By Kim Minugh -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Story appeared in Sacramento Bee Metro section, Page B1

Saying he was "deeply humbled" by the results of last week's election, Jerry Simmons issued an apology to the Sierra College community Tuesday night for his performance as a trustee and the political rancor that has unraveled relations among the board, employees and area residents.
Last week, Simmons lost a bid for a seat on the Placer County Board of Supervisors, lost his seat on the Republican Central Committee and also suffered a defeat of his college's $78.2 million bond measure -- all while he was the subject of a recall effort also directed at fellow trustee Aaron Klein.
"I apologize … for how I've handled my role as a trustee. Although I had the best intentions, sometimes my implementation of key decisions was done poorly," Simmons said.
Simmons said he has spent many sleepless nights over the past few weeks pondering how to help the college move forward. He hoped the apology was "a place to start."

He then voted with three other trustees -- Klein, Scott Leslie and Nancy Palmer -- against a motion to remove him as president of the Sierra Joint Community College District board of trustees. The motion -- which needed five votes to pass -- failed, with trustees Dave Creek, Dave Ferrari and Barbara Vineyard backing it.

Klein also issued an apology during the meeting, saying he felt bad that some in the Sierra College community "have been hurt in some cases by what I've said or perhaps the way I've said them.

"For that, I wholeheartedly and honestly apologize," he said.

But some critics said the apologies came too late, and that the vote on the motion to remove Simmons as board president only would fuel a recall effort launched two weeks ago against Simmons and Klein.

"They have got to admit that they have brought this college to its knees … and that they have absolutely demoralized the college and polarized this board," biology professor Joe Medeiros said. "Their behavior does nothing but fill the sails for the recall campaign."

Trustees voted on Simmons' presidency at the request of Creek, who said last month that Simmons needed to be removed because of his threatening and intimidating leadership style.

But at Tuesday's meeting Creek said he was struggling to determine whether a vote was appropriate, given Simmons' apology.

He later suggested that Simmons resign as president to "calm people down" and get the board back to college business.

In what appeared to be an effort to reach out to other trustees, Creek suggested that Leslie take the board's helm. Leslie has expressed support for Simmons in the past and is seen as part of the board majority.

Simmons said that he was not prepared to make a decision, and that the request to step down as president was "not well-timed."

He urged trustees to wait until the college's new president, Leo Chavez, takes office next month and helps formulate a plan on how to ease tensions.

Ferrari, who served as board president before Simmons, said he feels politics have caused trustees to lose sight of their mission. Though he said he appreciated Simmons' apology, he said the college would best be served with a new board leader.

During a recess in the meeting, Johnnie Terry, president of the faculty senate, said he felt the crowd of about 75 employees and residents would leave angrier than they came in and more ripe to support the recall effort.