LAKE COUNTY — The upcoming election for the Mendocino-Lake Community College District Trustee Area No. 7 features two candidates who bring experience to the table — one from a student”s perspective and the other from the administrative perspective.
Appointed incumbent David Geck, 63, of Kelseyville has spent most of his life involved in the school districts of Lake County, culminating with his election to County Superintendent of Schools for one term.
Derek Tippit, 43, of Kelseyville has attended both the Lakeport and Ukiah Mendocino College campuses regularly since the 1980s, taking 59 courses while also involving himself in student administration and numerous committees.
Geck said he started out as a counselor at Lower Lake High School in 1979 before serving for nine years as the principal at Carl? High School. He then served as Assistant Superintendent at the Lake County Office of Education for 11 years before his election to County Superintendent of Schools. Following the death of Gerald DeChaine last September, Geck was appointed to the Mendocino College Board of Trustees last November to finish the rest of DeChaine”s term.
Tippit, who spent many years as a nuclear, biological and chemical warfare specialist for the United States Army”s 82nd Airborne Division, said he was elected to the Associated Students of Mendocino College Student Senate in 1995 and served a two-year term. He was then elected to serve as the student trustee on the Mendocino College Board of Trustees in 1997. He has served on the Mendocino College”s president advisory committee, a community oversight committee, an academic review committee, a curriculum review committee and many others. Tippit said his wife, three children, sister and parents have all attended the college at some point.
Both men said they are running out of concern for where the college is heading in the current economic times.
“The big challenge, as we look at the next few years, is how do you allocate resources in an environment where you”re getting less money from the state?” Geck said. “How do you make sure you”re providing the programs and services that really are focused on helping students succeed? One thing I”d like the college to do, and they”ve started, is to continue to look at the best practices that other community colleges use. We”re a small community college, and so in many of the areas, the big community colleges have established some programs that don”t necessarily fit perfectly with us but we can take the best ideas and put them in place.”
“Right now, with the fiscal state that California is in and the cutbacks that the Chancellor”s Office is making on the college and the new Lake Center building, I want to make sure that the cutbacks impact the community as least as possible and that the construction goes forward and that Mendocino College remains a strong, viable participant in the community,” Tippit said. “It”s all about working as a team on the Board of Trustees to come up with strategic plans to minimize the impact on the communities that Mendocino College serves and to offer as many programs as we can to follow the mission objective of Mendocino College.”
Each candidate said their past experiences make them a good fit for the trustee position.
“It”s been helpful to have been in the office for this last year,” Geck said. “It”s helpful to have been current in terms of leaving the K-12 system and transitioning over just a few months later. I think those are the aspects of me as a candidate that make me a good fit.”
“I think that all my experience with the military and with the college will be an asset to the board and to Mendocino College as a whole,” Tippit said. “Serving in an elected position is a privilege and an honor. I think I”m at a time in my life where I can apply my skills and knowledge to this endeavor. I think my connection with the college, inside and out, with committees, the faculty, the staff set me apart.”
The two men took part in a debate at Ukiah City Hall on Oct. 17 as part of Candidates Night. Mendocino Access Television Channel 3 has aired the debate five times and will begin airing it again regularly during the next few days, according to John Glasco, an employee at Mendocino Access Television. Glasco said the televised debate will be given to Lake County PEG TV Channel 8 for broadcasting. In the meantime, the debate is currently available for viewing on the front page of Mendocino Access Television”s website, www.mendocinoaccess.org. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
