College of DuPage Board Members Ready to Get to Work

The three candidates who won seats at the College of DuPage Board of Trustees saw their election success as an indication that voters are looking for change.

“First we would like to thank the voters for the trust that they have placed in us. They saw, like we did, the need for change and reform on the Board of the College of DuPage,” a written release from the Clean Slate campaign stated.

Charles Bernstein, Frank Napolitano, and Deanne Mazzochi ran a campaign for change and backed the actions of College of DuPage board member Kathy Hamilton, who, on Tuesday night was celebrating at the victory party with the new board members.

“They saw that Kathy Hamilton needed reinforcements,” the release went on to say. ““They saw that the Breuder era of corruption needed to end.”

Back in August of 2014, the College of DuPage board of trustees voted to censure Kathy Hamilton, saying she “publicly embarrassed her fellow elected Board members and the College administration” and “Trustee Hamilton voices those disagreements by making erroneous statements reflecting negatively against her fellow Board members and the administration in an inflammatory, insulting, discourteous and defamatory manner.”

But the school has been embroiled in controversy, including the approval of a $762,000 buyout of the college president Robert Breuder in January. Hamilton voted against that.

“Tonight, (voters) gave us a clear mandate to clean up the College of DuPage,” the Clean Slate release stated. “To put an end to the attitude that has persisted there that taxpayers don’t count, and insiders rule. To finally stop the waste, fraud, and abuse. To end business as usual and to truly put taxpayers, students, and faculty ahead of the insider interests that have dominated this board and this school for too long.”

“With this historic victory, the Clean Slate for COD joins Kathy Hamilton in forming a new majority on the Board at the College of DuPage that will deliver the reform that voters are demanding.”

Read more about the issues the college has faced:

• business dealings at the college radio station
• $200,000 charged in food and liquor costs at the college’s fine dining restaurant, Waterleaf.
• signage contracts awarded to a foundation member without going to bid for the jobs.
• there are three active subpoenas against the college.
• academic numbers in question