MHCC Board members
Mt. Hood Community College Board Member James Zordich (left), Board Chair Susie Jones (center) and MHCC President Debra Derr listen to Board Member George "Sonny" Yellott talk about "illegal immigration" on Wednesday, July 13, 2016.
(Andrew Theen/The Oregonian)
Mt. Hood Community College's board chair and administrators want the public to know one thing: Beyond a public scolding, there's not much they can do about George "Sonny" Yellott.
The school looked into ways to discipline Yellott, the 76-year-old board member who shared a picture of President Obama with a noose around his neck earlier this month, sparking national headlines.
After The Oregonian/OregonLive reported on the Obama meme Monday, the college board quickly convened a closed-door meeting the next night. Board member Michael Calcagno said he and others asked Yellott during the meeting to step down immediately.
Yellott, however, refused to resign from his elected board. He's also said he won't pull out of a November race for Oregon House of Representatives, despite the demands of the state's Republican leadership.
Reached by phone Thursday, Yellott declined to answer questions. "I refuse to talk to you," he said, before hanging up.
The controversy at Mt. Hood has underscored one unavoidable fact about Oregon's 17 community colleges and the 119 people who serve on their elected boards. With some exceptions, members generally stay until they die, resign or are voted out of office after a four-year term.
George "Sonny" Yellott was elected to the Mt. Hood Community College board in 2013 for a four-year term.
"The board doesn't have any authority to remove a fellow board member," said Andrea Henderson, executive director of the Oregon Community College Association.
State law does allow the Mt. Hood board to dismiss Yellott if he has "ceased to discharge the duties of office for two consecutive months." For example, that could mean missing board meetings for consecutive months without a health-related excuse.
Voters could also recall him. According to Multnomah County Elections officials, petitioners would need approximately 2,300 valid signatures to place the question on the ballot. Yellott would get a five-day period to either step down or explain in writing why he should remain in office. If he does the latter, the elections office has 35 days to set the election date.
Eric Sample, a Multnomah County elections spokesman, said successful recalls are extremely rare. The college's service district spans three counties and roughly 950 square miles. The district Yellott represents in Southeast Portland district had more than 27,000 eligible voters, Sample said.
Sample said the only successful effort he can remember in 17 years at the county is a 2004 recall of a Corbett Water District member.
Henderson, the head of the community college association, said she's rarely seen a situation like this in her 16 years in the job. She hosts trainings for new board members each year. "Generally speaking, we have amazing people on our boards across the state," she said. The members are volunteers, community leaders, retired educators and small business owners, she said.
Henderson, who visits each board annually, said she's surprised and disappointed by the comments Yellott made at a board meeting last week about undocumented immigrants. "I have not ever seen comments of that tenor at a community college board meeting," she said.
Susie Jones, Mt. Hood's board chair, said the board has quickly tried to assess what it can do.
It's been scary, she said, to watch the headlines spread across the country. "It certainly caused damage to the college and I don't know if we can repair that damage," she said.
Jones plans to hold a public meeting as soon as possible to publicly censure Yellott. The board will also present an investigation of past instances of Yellott's offensive behavior. Jones said it's important to point out his "consistent pattern of inappropriate conduct, adding that Yellott has said offensive remarks "from the very beginning" of his time on the board.
Yellott was elected to the board in 2013, but he ran unopposed, collecting 4,500 votes. Just 37 percent of eligible voters in that district cast a ballot.
Jones said she's already talked to two people in Yellott's district who have expressed interest in running next May when his term expires. "Nobody should run unopposed," Jones said.
"It's just healthier for the democratic process. You need a balanced set of candidates for the people to choose from."
As Yellott digs in his heels, the school is frustrated and hoping to move past the situation.
Voters turned down a $125 million bond in May, the fifth such effort for the school. At the meeting last week where Yellott ranted about immigrants and the controversial proposed Oregon tax on businesses, the other six board members discussed when the school should seek another bond and what that plan might look like.
Bruce Battle, a school spokesman, said he's heard from several residents who are frustrated with the situation.
"We want people to understand that Mt. Hood is a place that's committed to inclusivity," he added.
-- Andrew Theen
atheen@oregonian.com
503-294-4026
@andrewtheen