Two familiar challengers in the State Center Community College District are battling again for a seat on the board of trustees -- with one questioning his rival's commitment to higher education and the other blasting the incumbent for being sued over alleged sexual harassment.
Incumbent Phillip Forhan and challenger Richard Caglia are running for the Area 5 seat in the Nov. 4 election. Forhan beat Caglia by 195 votes in 2004.
In the Area 2 race, incumbent William J. Smith faces challenger Phil Maher. They also ran against each other in 2004.
State Center operates Fresno City College, Reedley College and several college centers in Fresno and Madera counties.
Forhan, a Fresno real estate broker first elected in 1991, questions whether Caglia is sufficiently interested in State Center.
"Why hasn't he attended a board meeting in four years?" asked Forhan, 61.
Caglia, a 40-year-old businessman and lawyer from Fresno, said he has attended "only a couple of meetings recently."
But, he said, "I don't have to go to every board meeting to show sufficient interest."
Caglia called Forhan's charge a "feeble attempt" to distract voters from the fact that in 2005 Forhan was sued in a sexual harassment case by State Center spokeswoman Teresa Patterson and that Patterson received a $100,000 settlement. Patterson sued State Center in the same lawsuit. She received $90,000 from State Center's self-insurance group and $10,000 from Forhan, according to a settlement agreement.
Said Caglia: "I don't think anyone should be an elected official with those set of circumstances over their head. I wouldn't last very long if I treated my female employees like that."
Forhan responded: "It was an unfortunate situation for both myself and the district."
He noted that Patterson in 2001 sued Fresno Pacific University -- where she worked before joining State Center -- alleging harassment and sexual discrimination, and that she received a settlement of $100,000 from the university. Court documents confirm that.
Forhan and Caglia agree that State Center should provide training in environmentally friendly, so-called green industries such as wind and solar energy. But they squabble over who had the idea first.
Caglia said Forhan "stole my platform. It's something I've been talking about all along, and it seems strange that all of a sudden he's talking about the same thing."
Forhan denies this. "How does one steal something that is so obvious? Taking credit for green technologies is like taking credit for the Internet," he said.
In the Area 2 race, Smith and Maher are running low-profile campaigns. Smith, 62, is a Fresno attorney first elected to the board in 1983. Maher is a 71-year-old retired real estate appraiser from Biola.
Both men believe that State Center needs to offer more vocational education. Smith said he has been a strong advocate for State Center's plans to build a campus in southeast Fresno that will be oriented to vocational education. Maher suggests training for truck drivers, landscapers and building maintenance workers because there are jobs in those fields.
Both men want to expand the registered nursing program.
State Center extends into Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kings counties and covers more than 5,500 square miles.
A candidate must live in the area he or she seeks to represent. But all district voters vote in trustee area races. Area 2 includes Caruthers, Kerman, Washington Union and Central school districts. Area 5 takes in most of Fresno Unified School District.
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