Don’t vote for status quo at COD

Don’t vote for status quo at COD

This letter is a response to your March 15 endorsements of David Carlin and Kathy Hamilton. You state, “A vote for Carlin and Hamilton is clearly a vote for the status quo at COD.” Saying that it’s “certainly not a bad thing”, is not the same as saying it’s a good thing.

If votes for Carlin and Hamilton are votes for the status quo, please consider what the status quo is.

The status quo is the current administration, under the guidance of Chairman Carlin, picking a costly and pointless fight with our neighbor and host community, Glen Ellyn. This fight cost both sides hundreds of thousands of tax dollars Glen Ellyn residents had the pleasure of paying for both fights as they pay taxes that support COD and Glen Ellyn.

The status quo is David Carlin approving the taxpayer funded, for-profit restaurant, “The Waterleaf” which cost the taxpayers over $500,000 last year, roughly $2,700 every night it was open and, according to the current administration, will lose at least as much next year. Some of those taxpayers are restaurateurs themselves. Taxpayers who work hard to keep their businesses open while paying taxes to keep their competition afloat.

The status quo is David Carlin supporting yearly tuition increases; making COD the most expensive, publicly funded, community college in the state. These increases have nothing to due with faculty raises, the average pay for faculty actually decreased in the 2011-2012 school year (NEA Advocate, Vol. 30, NO 2). This occurred while yearly budget surpluses increased the fund balance from around $20 million four years ago to over $100 million this year.

This is the status quo. I hope the voters in District 502 will remember the status quo on Tuesday.

Bob Hazard

Aurora

Assistant Professor, English

College of DuPage