Featured photo: Front row (left to right): Candidates for the Mott Community College Board of Trustees Rebecca Garske, Ann Figueroa and Art Reyes
Back row (left to right): Christine Winter and Matt Barbour, moderators for the event
Written by Tanya Terry
The 2022 Mott Community College Board of Trustee Candidate Forum enlightened students and the rest of the community about candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot for trustee of Mott Community College.
Jennifer Cronkwright said the students were excited to learn more about the candidates that could be shaping the vision and policy of Mott Community College. Cronkwright is a dual-enrolled student at Mott College and the University of Michigan-Flint. She added the Board of Trustees plays a pivotal role in shaping the student experience, the role the employees play and the work in the community.
Each candidate was reached out to by phone, email and mail before the forum, which took place Nov. 1.
The candidates who were present were asked to briefly describe themselves and why they were running for the position.
Rebecca Garske stated she is a graduate of Mott Community College. She is a mother of four and a recently retired professor from Mott Community College. She spent 19 years teaching there.
“The reason I would like to and I am running for the board is because I feel like I haven’t given everything that I need to give to the college, and it’s time to start on a different type of giving back to the community and the school,” Garkse said.
Garkse is a candidate for the partial term ending Dec. 31, 2024. The other candidates for the partial term are Beth Cooper and Jeffrey Swanson.
According to Cronkwright, Beth Cooper had a sick child at home and Jeffrey Swanson said he was unavailable for the event.
Ann Figueroa, current chair of the Board of Trustees, was the next candidate to speak. She explained in 2017, she was retiring after 30 years in human resources. She talked about how she learned in HR there are different types of education. She said there’s the skill base and there is higher learning, which involves critical thinking.
“Mott gives them those skills,” Figueroa stated. “So, I wanted to give back.”
She also said she didn’t want to waste her own skills.
Figueroa has an undergraduate degree in physical education and a master’s degree in special education.
She explained that in human resources she had students or applicants who didn’t have the interviewing skills and other skills to complete the job they were applying for.
“So, we have to start here,” she added. “We need to start, and I need to be able to give back and help them along to do that.”
Art Reyes was the other candidate who attended the forum and is currently serving as the vice chair of the Board of Trustees. He stated the reason he originally ran in 2017 is because he’s a journeyman electrician.
He stated he has first-hand knowledge of skilled trades, as a graduate of Mott Community College. According to Reyes, he owes a lot of what he was able to get from his life to Mott Community College.
“Because I was able to earn while I learned through the apprenticeship program, the burden of being in college and costs associated with that were far less,” Reyes said. “So, my family didn’t suffer through getting the education.”
Reyes is the father of five. He has three grandchildren and another one on the way.
He described how his children had him to look at as an example, as he did his homework as they did theirs.
He stated he decided to run because he is very happy with the work he and Figueroa have been able to do. He mentioned how they adapted during the Flint Water Crisis and the pandemic. According to Reyes, they gained know-how by doing what was required of them while seeing how quickly things change.
“We have a good board who are moving the community college forward,” Reyes said.
Reyes and Figueroa are running together for the six-year term. Art Marden and Wendy Wolcott are also running for the six-year term.
Matt Barbour and Christine Winter, anchors for ABC 12 News, moderated the event. They asked the candidates a series of questions during the forum, which lasted nearly an hour.
To watch the forum in its entirety, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9g8wxTRcUg
