Clean Slate Candidates Call on College of DuPage Board to Approve State Performance Audit

At a morning press conference in Hinsdale today, the “Clean Slate” reform College of DuPage trustee candidates aligned with current board vice chairman Kathy Hamilton to declare their support for a state audit of the troubled community college. Collectively, they called on the College of DuPage board to approve a performance audit by the Illinois Auditor General. State Representative Jeanne Ives (R-Naperville), the General Assembly’s leading voice for COD reform, supported this action from Springfield.

Clean Slate candidate Frank Napolitano stated, “The public has lost faith in the COD board. It must move forward with the much needed State Auditor General’s performance audit. Avoiding the audit is a slap in the face of the taxpayers, with whose money the board is entrusted.” The Bloomingdale resident served previously on the school board of the large Elgin Area District U-46.

“If we were on the board right now, we would approve this audit in a heartbeat, with Kathy Hamilton’s support,” observed retired businessman Charles Bernstein. The Naperville MBA, also a Clean Slate candidate, added, “All taxpayers have a right to know what is going on at COD. But the insiders in charge at COD don’t care. This must end, and on April 7, it will.”

Deanne Mazzochi, the Elmhurst attorney who rounds out the Clean Slate trio of candidate, explained, “Our unique statement to the district is this – ‘If you elect us, you will get reform. COD will be back on track. We will give COD the bold leadership it needs to make important calls on a timely basis. We will hold people accountable. We will not dither -- or throw up procedural roadblocks -- when the state demands an audit to determine whether COD followed the law.’”

Fourteen members of the Illinois General Assembly wrote to the College of DuPage last week asking the school to agree to the Auditor General’s costs and terms of cooperation. Hamilton immediately called on board chair Erin Birt to announce an emergency meeting for the purpose of accepting the state audit’s terms. Birt has not called the meeting. Birt implied in weekend news reports that she has no intention of doing so.

“COD has gone rogue. It is defying legislators from both parties. It is ignoring the state Auditor General. It has stopped answering press calls. It hopes desperately that voters will not approve the Clean Slate reformers. Instead, by acting this irresponsibly, COD is showing the need for new leadership,” Hamilton said. She added, “COD’s problems cannot be wished away. Voters must send reformers to the board who are determined to solve the problems so COD can start a new chapter.”

Commenting from the state capitol, Ives said, “No one I meet has confidence in the COD Board or its senior administration. A performance audit, performed by the State Auditor General, an independent agency, is one of the best ways to reveal whether or not procedures were followed in accordance with the law and board rules. Dozens of legislators have called for this audit. The COD board of trustees should approve the state audit immediately and remove any suspicion that they are hiding more problems.” She stated that the General Assembly’s deadline for COD’s acceptance of the Auditor General’s terms is Thursday, March 12.