HCC trustee election begins

Eight candidates running for three board positions

David Jaroszewski said he was “sickened” when he saw that a Houston Community College trustee pleaded guilty to accepting bribes connected to system contracts earlier this year.

“This isn’t right,” the longtime community college instructor remembers thinking. He soon would put his name on the ballot to replace Chris Oliver, the District IX trustee who is awaiting sentencing.

Jaroszewski, 64, is one of eight candidates running for three HCC trustee positions this fall. Candidates must convince voters they are best suited to help lead a system that has seen fluctuating enrollment, lawsuits originating from a board member and Oliver’s bribery conviction in the last two years.

Early voting for the Nov. 7 election begins Monday.

“The public wants a community college that doesn’t waste money. The public wants a community college that educates people. … As a trustee, you look at these and (you) can’t say it’s not my problem. It is my problem,” said Jaroszewski, a self-described conservative who teaches paralegal studies at Lee College in Baytown.

Jaroszewski is running

against Eugene “Gene” Pack, a retired auto broker, and Pretta VanDible Stallworth, a business consultant, for the District IX seat that covers southwest Houston.

Oliver, who pleaded guilty to taking $12,000 in Visa gift cards and cash, promising to use his position to help a contractor secure new HCC work, is not running for re-election. His sentencing is in November.

Stallworth, 59, and Pack, 65, did not respond to requests for comment.

On his website, Pack has pledged to enhance financial aid policies to keep students enrolled after Harvey if he is elected.

He also proposed several accountability measures for the board, including shortening trustee terms to four years from six and pushing for ethics reform in board contracts and procurement.

Stallworth, a former HCC trustee from 1989 to 1993, was endorsed by the Harris County Young Democrats and the Houston GLBT Political Caucus PAC.

She said in the League of Women Voters of Houston election guide that she would advocate for increased ethics training for board members. Administrators should review employer needs regularly to assess what HCC should teach, she said.

Incumbents are trying to fend off challengers for the two other seats.

District IV

District IV incumbent Carolyn Evans-Shabazz is a retired educator and real estate broker who has served on the board since 2015.

District IV includes the Texas Medical Center and snakes west to the Sam Houston Tollway to include Chinatown and Sharpstown.

Evans-Shabazz, 64, faces Manny Barrera, a retired teacher and city employee who has been a perennial candidate in local elections, and Daniel “DC” Caldwell, a Texas Southern University law student recently entangled in a free-speech debate involving state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Baytown-area Republican.

She said she does not expect Oliver’s guilty plea to hamper her campaign, citing her relationships within her district.

“If the running back fumbles the ball, do you bench the whole team?” she wrote in an email.

Still, she said she recognizes that board members need to rebuild trust.

Trustee Dave Wilson earlier this month filed a lawsuit against Evans-Shabazz, a Democrat, accusing her of improperly voting remotely at a recent meeting. Board bylaws do not allow virtual votes.

Evans-Shabazz said state law permits the remote vote and that her virtual presence was approved by board counsel, though she declined to cite the specific statute, citing the ongoing lawsuit. Each of the items she voted for were approved by more than a majority of members, so the measures would have passed even if she did not vote.

“My presence (at board meetings) on behalf of my community is very important,” she said.

Barrera, 68, has run unsuccessfully for City Council, Houston ISD board of trustees and HCC’s board.

He said he wants to weed out dishonesty on the board. He bristles, for example, at the use of closed sessions in HCC board meetings.

“They need a lot more transparency,” he said.

Both Barrera and EvansShabazz said HCC must beef up vocational training, particularly

in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Both note that jobs in the hands-on trades can be lucrative and lead to long-term employment.

Caldwell, 32, attended several community colleges before transferring to Texas A&M University. He calls himself a “volunteer” and said he wanted to ensure the District IV race was contested.

“We should be given options,” he said.

Caldwell previously ran unsuccessfully for Austin Community College’s board and Dallas City Council, and he pledged to vote against wasteful spending at HCC.

Earlier this month, Caldwell invited Cain, a member of the Texas Freedom Caucus, to speak at Texas Southern University about this year’s Texas legislative session. TSU President Austin Lane interrupted the event to call it off amid protests, saying it was not properly registered with the school’s administration. Lane’s decision drew ire from conservative groups and the law school’s dean.

“I would be naïve if I didn’t expect it to have some boost effect (on the race),” Caldwell said of the dispute.

District V

Robert Glaser, a 56-year-old business owner, has served on the board since 2013. He is facing a challenge from Victoria Bryant,

a 42-year-old pharmacist, for the District V seat. District V includes Bellaire and parts of Rice Village and West University Place.

Glaser was endorsed this week by Meyerland Democrats, who called Bryant a “tough GOP opponent,” and Harris County Tejano Democrats, who also endorsed Evans-Shabazz and Stallworth.

He did not respond to requests for comment, but said in the League of Women Voters guide that he would push for more streamlined degree and certificate programs to get students through efficiently.

Bryant, a self-described conservative, said HCC’s board scandals have taken away from teaching and workforce preparation.

She said she would advocate to reduce trustees’ term length and cut what she called superfluous spending among trustees and administrators. Transparency in finances and frugality will earn back public trust, she said in the League of Women Voters publication.

“HCC is losing its competitiveness to the other colleges due to its poor reputation,” she said. “I think people are just fed up. The opportunity is there. We need new leadership.”