Story focused on four
out of 600 MSC hires
In what began as a celebratory article on the successes of the growth of Mesa State College, reporter Emily Anderson threw in a proverbial red herring with an uninformed, inflammatory statement that “the college has a history of hiring former political workers and those connected to them” in her Oct. 25 article titled, “Mesa State hires as campus grows, enrollment soars.”
In the last five years, Mesa State has hired nearly 600 part-time and full-time faculty and staff. Most hired were not for new positions; rather, they were new employees filling positions left vacant by departing employees. Anderson targets four of the nearly 600 employees hired and, while doing so, recklessly fails to explore the resumés of the employees or the hiring processes of the college.
Vice President of Student Services John Marshall was selected as the successful candidate after a lengthy nationwide search that netted 23 candidates. A search committee recommended him to the president based on his experience and ability to succeed at Mesa State College. Under the guidance of Marshall, the college’s enrollment has increased by 15 percent. With Mr. Marshall’s promotion, Mesa State was left with a critical vacancy in the development office.
Continuity in fundraising is essential and the decision was made to quickly to fill the position with a proven, experienced leader. Kristi Pollard accepted the challenge and has broken prior fundraising records by nearly $400,000, despite the current economic conditions. Derek Wagner, with extensive background in local, state and federal legislative processes, has been with the college for only a few weeks. He is filling the position as director of strategic initiatives that continues to assure Mesa State College’s success through tough economic times.
Both directors’ positions will undergo the college’s search process at a future time. Mesa State College adheres to fair hiring practices as an equal opportunity employer. To imply otherwise is irresponsible and inaccurate.
BARBARA CASE KING
Grand Junction

MSC foundation unfairly
competes with private sector
Mesa State Real Estate Foundation is now offering for lease, commercial real estate built smack dab in the middle of a previously public street. Extremely competitive in pricing, the property is offered for $18 per foot for this prime North Avenue space, which comes with about 7,000 potential customers (students), plus incredible exposure to traffic traveling North Avenue.
Additionally, they are willing to include some tenant improvements for the right deal, which are difficult to acquire from most landlords because of the current tight-credit scenario.
June 30, 2008, was the date mandated to be used to assess all properties in Mesa County. The assessor did just that, resulting in an unprecedented increase in real property taxes for, except for entities like the Mesa State Real Estate Foundation. The foundation usually passes this savings on to its tenants. This is occurring concurrently with a downturn in real estate values based upon vacancies, which has left most real property owners grappling to keep up with increased taxes as well as a reduction in tenants.
I am thankful for Mesa State and what it does for our community. However, I do not think that it should be able to offer property in a competitive market without playing by all the same rules as every other player. It needs to be paying its fair share of property taxes on this and every other property, just as anyone else has to do.
BEN HILL
Grand Junction

Obama can’t spend years
blaming the other guy
I woke up recently to the news that 55 Americans have died in Afghanistan this month.
Jobs are still not coming back yet and our economy is still in the tank. But rejoice. Our president has managed to travel abroad to try to get the Olympics to come to Chicago. He has played 24 rounds of golf in nine months (a feat that took George Bush two years and 10 months). This week, he was in New Jersey campaigning for their governor.
Fifty-five Americans have died this month and he has not made one decision about Afghanistan.
Mr. President, if you are not going to win this war, bring our sons our daughters and our parents home. Dick Cheney was right, whether you like it or not, you and your administration are “dithering” while American lives are lost.
Can anyone name one major accomplishment of this administration? Jobs? The economy? The Democrats have enough votes to pass anything they want without one Republican vote, so the blame game will not work.
These wars and this economy all belong to Obama now. It is his policies (or lack thereof) that are in place. Obama cannot spend four years blaming the other guy. But maybe a few more rounds of golf will solve it all.
KIRK ANSTAETT
Grand Junction
Hall deserves credit for
her many accomplishments
Some people are always willing to just step out there and say what they think. Others choose to sit on their hands and keep their opinions to themselves.
Kathy Hall is a former Colorado Oil and Gas Association representative. She also served as a Mesa County commissioner, as Western Slope representative for Sens. Bill Armstrong and Hank Brown, past Chamber of Commerce Board Member and advocate for countless families and causes in Mesa County. She is one of those people who clearly fall into the first category.
Whether you agree with Kathy on an issue or not, you always know exactly where Kathy stands. She is not only willing to speak out, but also to take action when needed. She continues to be an extremely effective leader.
Everyone who knows her, knows that Kathy is fiercely proud of this community she calls home. From children’s issues, to Hospice, from land use to community betterment, from historic preservation to innovative economic development projects, from family to friends, Kathy maintains a loyalty to those people and issues that she has made a part of her life.
It is easy to take pot shots at someone who is often out front, but it is really hard not to respect and honor their efforts. Grand Junction has been very fortunate to have this strong-minded, Wyoming-born-and-raised, leader in our midst.
I personally congratulate her on all her accomplishments and her recent change. She deserves some time to relax and enjoy some of the fruits of her labor.
JACQUIE CHAPPELL-REID
Grand Junction

Palisade youngster is
an example for others
Good job to the kid who “blew the whistle” and prevented a tragedy at Palisade High School. It took a lot of courage to step forward, and he did the right thing.
Less crime and violence would happen if more people would step forward and be brave enough to say something as he did.
ANTHONY LEE
Grand Junction

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