YOUR AD HERE »

Basalt trustee to seek CMC seat

Dennis WebbPost Independent Staff

A Basalt town trustee has decided to run for the board of Colorado Mountain College.Anne Freedman is running for the seat now occupied by a good friend, Jacque Whitsitt, who doesn’t plan to seek re-election (see related story).Also, retired educator Roy Brubacher, of Parachute, who recently expressed interest in running for the board, said he has decided to do so. He would replace Judith Hayward, also of Parachute, who is barred from running again by term limits.Three CMC seats are up for election this fall. So far, none of those vying for the seats is facing any opposition. CMC board chair Doris Dewton, of Eagle County, plans to seek re-election to her seat. No one else has taken out petitions to run in the college’s election, and the deadline for turning in petitions is Friday, said CMC election coordinator Toni Black.Freedman said she has been interested in running for the CMC board, but didn’t feel as if she had time while she was on council. However, her work on council is coming to an end because of term limits.She said she also wouldn’t have run if Whitsitt, whom she called “a close friend,” was running.Freedman, like Brubacher, is retired from a career in education. She has a doctorate in political science and was a college professor for 30 years, teaching at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She and her husband Phillip moved to the area some eight or nine years ago after taking early retirement.She said she is interested in academic offerings at CMC, a two-year college, and in the transfer of credits to other institutions for those seeking higher degrees.She also wants to look at CMC’s academic standards, which she believes may be too loose. She taught a course at CMC in Aspen after first arriving here. She was dismayed when her interpretation of what warranted a failing grade differed from the college’s.”I’m not somebody that just fails somebody left and right, but I thought that needed to be looked at,” she said.While there are differences between CMC and Roosevelt University, there also are similarities. Freedman said Roosevelt catered to a lot of commuters who came to school after work and were returning to education later in life.She believes CMC plays a vital role as the only locally based provider of higher education.”I think the college is very important, and I think in most ways they do an excellent job,” she said.Whitsitt said she supports Freedman’s candidacy, given her political science degree, education experience and vision for higher education.”I think Anne Freedman will do a great job if she’s elected,” Whitsitt said.Similarly, Hayward has said Brubacher would serve CMC well if elected.Brubacher said he’s not ready to speak in detail about issues involving the college.”I think I need to do a lot of investigating and a lot of reading,” he said.But he already recognizes the college’s importance amid western Garfield County’s boom in energy development.”All of that will result in customized training and work-force training and so forth,” he said.He said he’s interested in helping bring adequate CMC services to western Garfield County, and making the most of what programs are available. He also wants to be involved in the effort to build a new CMC building in Rifle.Brubacher retired as Colorado’s assistant commissioner for education. He worked for 43 years in education, serving first at a variety of Colorado schools as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent. He worked for 22 years in the state Department of Education.His son, Steven, retired last year as a teacher in Garfield County School District 16. Roy Brubacher also served a year and a half on the board of that district.Brubacher said he is interested in dual-credit programs that let high school students earn college credit for their studies, giving them a head start in college.The state recently cut funding for higher education. Brubacher backs passage of state referendums C and D, which are aimed at shoring up state finances.”I really support those because we really need to build a strong higher education program, and we’re not doing it. And you just can’t run a railroad without a track,” he said.Contact Dennis Webb: 945-8515, ext. 516dwebb@postindependent.com


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.