Below is the text of a letter to the editor that will be sent to newspapers in the Montgomery County Kansas on March 24, 2011 before the April 5 General Election for the Independence Community College Board of Trustees.
An issue surfaced during the ICC trustee candidate forum last Tuesday night in Independence that should become the defining issue of the whole election. All the other issues can be pushed aside while voters decide if they want to keep the Community in their Community College.
Three candidates who repeatedly market themselves as a “bloc”; Dale Roberts, Phillip Fienen and David Wallis, do not want ICC to be involved in the community. (I’ll paraphrase.) “We do not have any business being downtown in Independence, working with the Indy Chamber, Main Street or Montgomery County Action Council. We don’t have any business helping local and area businesses with an incubation program.”, said Dale Roberts. Since the three market themselves as a “bloc” we can to assume that any one of them always speaks for all three of them; the Radical 3.
The choice for voters is this: If you want ICC to continue to be involved in the community, vote against the Radical 3.
In 2006, ICC president Dr. Terry Hetrick with the support of the ICC board of trustees had a vision to help local and area businesses. By anyone’s definition, except for the Radical 3, any help for small businesses involves an educational component. Terry wanted someone from a business background to facilitate the Successful Entrepreneur Program. After working in the business world for 30 years, I had the kind of nuts and bolts experience he and the board wanted for the program. From the beginning, we all knew I would need to be involved with the area’s chambers of commerce, main street groups and the Montgomery County Action Council. You can’t help businesses without working among them for the betterment of the local/area economy.
Early in 2009, around 200 people met at the Independence Civic Center to brainstorm ways to help Independence in light of the declining economy. The subject of business incubation had so much support as to garner its own category of suggestions, alongside other important categories like housing, economic development, etc. Everyone recognized that the college should be involved, so we took the lead. After 1 ½ years of planning by committee, we created a non-profit corporation, the Innovative Business Resource Center (IBRC), to develop an incubation process for new, growing and re-inventing businesses. IBRC has an independent board of directors, who have been business owners (or had general manager responsibilities in a larger business) except for one voting position appointed by the college. In return, the college allows me to work on behalf of IBRC.
The benefit to the college is that many of our incubation clients will enroll in entrepreneurial classes at ICC. We are not part of the Indy Chamber; however, the executive director is invited to be an ex-officio board member as is the executive director of Independence Main Street. Our primary objective is to help businesses. Although our objective is not to provide jobs, it is not economic development and it is not to fill certain buildings those things will be accomplished indirectly as we help businesses survive and thrive. Frank Crebase and Hoite Caston are the only candidates that have asked me anything about IBRC or the incubation program. The incumbent, Jay Jones has seen the reports and the updates to the ICC board. Had the Radical 3 inquired with me or one or our IBRC board members or even reviewed our web site at http://www.ibrc.org/, they would have known we work with the Chamber but are not a part of it.
The benefit to the college is that many of our incubation clients will enroll in entrepreneurial classes at ICC. We are not part of the Indy Chamber; however, the executive director is invited to be an ex-officio board member as is the executive director of Independence Main Street. Our primary objective is to help businesses. Although our objective is not to provide jobs, it is not economic development and it is not to fill certain buildings those things will be accomplished indirectly as we help businesses survive and thrive. Frank Crebase and Hoite Caston are the only candidates that have asked me anything about IBRC or the incubation program. The incumbent, Jay Jones has seen the reports and the updates to the ICC board. Had the Radical 3 inquired with me or one or our IBRC board members or even reviewed our web site at http://www.ibrc.org/, they would have known we work with the Chamber but are not a part of it.
So, if you’re a voter in the ICC district, the very essence of your community college is at stake in this election. If you want your college to be a community college, vote against the Radical 3; by voting for your choice among the remaining six candidates. Don't vote for anyone who would make statements and decisions based on false assumptions. Don't elect anyone whose philosophy is to take our community and college into decline rather than growth.
Jim Correll, Facilitator, Successful Entrepreneur Program, ICC and Executive VP, Innovative Business Resource Center
PS We are also involved in bringing events to Independence like Leadercast. This is a live event in Atlanta, simulcast into Memorial Hall in Independence on May 6, 2011. Sponsored by IBRC and ICC to encourage and inspire leadership among our citizens, I'm pretty sure the Radical 3 are not in favor of us sponsoring and supporting this kind of activity. (More information at http://www.leadercast.ibrc.org/)
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