New Member Appointed to the
Cuesta College Board of Trustees
The San Luis Obispo County Community College District (SLOCCCD) Board of Trustees has appointed a replacement to fill the vacancy on the Board. Patrick Mullen was given the oath of office by Cuesta Superintendent/President Marie E. Rosenwasser following extensive public interviews of Board candidates on Tuesday, January 25.
The vacancy is due to the results of the November 2 election, when Dr. Sam Blakeslee, a Cuesta College Trustee since 1998, was elected to serve as Assemblyman for the 33rd State Assembly District.
“Patrick was the best choice out of eight outstanding candidates,” said Board President Angela Mitchell. “His commitment to Cuesta College, ability to weigh the issues and listen, and extensive experience with legislative issues and public relations will be an incredible asset in the coming months as Cuesta deals with meeting the needs of students with restricted resources. As Patrick said, ‘It’s all about the students.’”
“Cuesta College is a tremendous asset for our county,” Mullen said. “I am honored to be part of the team and look forward to working with the talented faculty, staff and administration to help meet the needs of the students and community.”
Mullen is currently the Director of Public Affairs for Duke Energy’s California and Western U.S. operations. His responsibilities include managing the community, local governmental and media relations for each of the four power plants in California.
Mullen previously served with PG&E, spending 11 years in a variety of positions that included senior public and governmental affairs representative for Diablo Canyon, Humboldt Bay Power Plant and the company’s Northern California hydroelectric power plants. His professional background also includes five years of experience in federal legislative and constituent services, serving as the district representative for Congressman Bill Thomas.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in international business and master’s degree in business administration and finance at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Mullen was raised in Bakersfield and spent summers at his grandparent’s home in Morro Bay prior to attending Cal Poly. Mullen and his wife Laura live in San Luis Obispo with their three children; Anna 9, Michael 11 and Paige 13.
Mullen will hold the office only until the next regularly scheduled election in November 2006, at which time he may choose to run for the seat. The provisional appointment confers to Mullen all powers and duties of a governing board member. He will be seated at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting on February 2, 2005.
The SLOCCCD chose to fill the position by an appointment rather than by a special county-wide election. According to the San Luis Obispo County Clerk Recorder’s Office, the cost of a special election would be approximately $440,000. This cost is broken down as follows: $74,000 for ballot printing; $49,000 for absentee ballot processing, supplies and postage; $86,000 for sample ballot printing and postage; $69,000 for election workers; $40,000 for precinct equipment, supplies, polling-place rental and delivery; and $122,000 for election staff costs.
The College’s budget constraints made it fiscally prudent for the Board to make an appointment to fill the vacancy until the next regularly scheduled election for this Board seat in November 2006.
The Board also publicly interviewed the following candidates for the vacant seat: Craig Darnell, a financial planner at Blakeslee & Blakeslee; Carl Dudley, a business consultant; Dr. Don Morris, an Administrator/Professor Emeritus, Cal Poly; Carol Oelker, a school counselor; Dr. Ken Palmer, an Professor Emeritus, Cal Poly; Dr. Brahama D. Sharma, a retired chemistry professor; and Jacquelyn Wheeler, a retired vocational expert and rehabilitation counselor. “The quality of the candidates was a credit to Cuesta College and made the Board’s decision very difficult,” said Mitchell.