H Karsh: "If they can get away with getting rid of Theresa Cox, they can probably get rid of anyone"

My name is Howard Karsh. I am running for the Board of Regents District 5. You all know me. I took on Joe Alaniz over safety and health violations in Richardson Auditorium in 1998-99. Than I started doing some research and found although the community was being told in the budget documents that the auditorium had a budget, it was siphoned off for non-auditorium purposes with no explanation to me the manager and that is why the auditorium had sunk so deeply into disrepair. They did get rid of me (it took five years) and it had nothing to do with the lies orchestrated by Pat Townsend, another name that should be on that list of corrupt, incompetent, administrators. Lets all remember that the administration could not get away with this without the knowledge of the Board of Regents. In this coming election you need to kick out all the incumbent regents and don't elect the "good old boys." I know that many of you did not like Theresa Cox. She told me straight from the beginning that her job was not to protect me. Even so, she knew that attacking employees and violating their rights was not in the best interests of the College. She was trapped in the corruption and her knowledge of the law. Theresa did a good job in correcting the stupid and incompetent things that Alaniz and Rivas did with respect to getting rid of me. Alaniz put in writing in a rough draft to me that I was being put on administrative leave and that my contract would not be renewed. This document was dated before I received a performance appraisal and before any investigation was to be done into the complaints against me. This would have been my official notice that I was being put on administrative leave and proof I was being setup. Theresa pointed out that Alaniz was violating policy by stating up front in essence that my contract would not be renewed without following the than policy. It would have helped me that these documents were in my files uncovered under freedom of information. In the end there never was an investigation and Gabe Rivas was involved in the conspiracy against me from the beginning. Jose Rivera wrote a false performance appraisal that did not follow the PA policy and basically in some places had my employee Meredith appraising me without allowing me a rebuttal or due process, or the opportunity to confront my accusers, etc. etc. If they can get away with getting rid of Theresa Cox, they can probably get rid of anyone. You all need to go to her aid. I was protected under the Whistleblowers Act and it didn't help me. What I needed was about a $100,000 to pay the lawyers. You need someone on the Board that has some guts and ethics and I think I proved that I do.