Maricopa County Community College District has spent $37,000 investigating six complaints filed against board member since 2005
The Arizona Republic
October 5, 2010
The Maricopa County Community College District has spent $37,000 investigating six complaints filed against governing board member Jerry Walker since 2005 regarding offensive comments he made, according to records released by the district.
Five district employees and one student filed the complaints, and the district has paid two independent investigators a total of $36,996 since 2005 to explore them.
The investigators found that five of the six incidents did not constitute a violation of district policy, although in each case the report noted that Walker's comments were offensive or inappropriate.
"I was never found to be at fault - not legally," said Walker, who represents District 2, which covers the eastern part of Mesa as well as Fountain Hills, Scottsdale and Cave Creek. "People said I shouldn't have said this or shouldn't have said that, but I'm a strict adherent to the First Amendment and it's not just a right but a responsibility to be a sounding board to the public on what we experience as board members."
