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Cerritos College Faculty Senate President Bob Chester (left).
By Brian Hews and Brian Hews
(Norwalk) In an unprecedented rant during the April 3 Board of Trustees meeting, a Cerritos College Faculty Senate President referred to the Norwalk-based campus as being a “homophobic institution.”
The allegation caused a swift response from the college’s only openly gay elected official.
Bob Chester, who has been head of the faculty group since 1998, made the comment after he spent nearly 35 minutes speaking in the third person about “concerns he was getting from faculty members about a certain Trustee.”
The trustee he was likely referring to is John Paul Drayer, who is openly gay, and represents District Three that covers Bellflower and parts of Cerritos.
Chester never mentioned Trustee John Paul Drayer by name, but took swipes at him in a 35 minute report, that at times included a rambling dialogue about how “this Trustee was digging around campus trying to get dirt on people.”
Drayer, a popular community leader and educator from Bellflower was overwhelmingly elected over Appointed Incumbent Jean McHatton of Cerritos in last fall’s very first campaign in which trustees were elected via districts instead of at-large. Drayer was a leading advocate of the movement that forced college officials to change the five decade old election policy.
Chester went on, “people were surprised of the amount of ‘pomp and circumstance’ regarding the arrival of the new Trustees. I was being asked over and over again what was going on with the Trustees?”
“In my one face-to-face meeting with that Trustee (Drayer), I told him you need know who you can trust around this campus, and who you cannot,” Chester said.
“People have asked me questions about what is going on? There have been faculty members saying that a certain board member (Drayer) is looking to cause trouble around here,” Chester told Trustee Carmen Avalos.
“ I have only had negative comments about only one Trustee, and that is the purpose of my report tonight,” Chester said.
Marissa Perez, Board President told Chester, “let’s be honest your comments are directed to one particular Trustee (Drayer), let’s make that clear. Your comments reflect poorly on this entire board. At the end of the day, what are you for, and what improvements can be made to move this Board forward?” Perez said.
“I did report to the Faculty Senate leadership this past week that if they are unhappy with my performance, I will resign but I will serve until they tell me so. Perhaps I wasn’t as clear as I needed to be in my attempts to be diplomatic,” Chester said.
Drayer, in an interview with Los Cerritos Community Newspaper on Thursday afternoon said, “In politics people come with different opinions. We need to move forward. I wanted to find out what the Faculty Senate was doing, and I wrote letters to find out what is happening, that is part of my responsibility as an elected representative of the community,” Drayer commented.
“I want to reach out and be positive,” he continued. “I believe in free speech. We need team building here at Cerritos College. We need to talk openly with each other,” Drayer said.
“Most of the people I have spoken to have been supportive of me. I am a very hands on person, and I am not going to sit back and just be an observer from the side lines or from the board table,” Drayer said.
Drayer, when asked by Los Cerritos Community Newspaper if Chester should be removed by faculty senate members responded, “It is up to the Faculty Senate if he should resign or be replaced. I am not going to weigh in to that decision.”
“It was hard to sleep last night. I am trying to let this matter role off my back,” Drayer said about the comments hurled at him by Chester.
“I want to be a great representative to my community of Bellflower, and for every voter who supported me, and to those voters who do not,” Drayer said.
“I am and what I am, and I am willing to fight for what I believe is right and just. I like to turn lemons into lemonade,” Drayer said.
“I am a civil rights leader here in my community and I have been recognized nationally for my leadership abilities in fighting against discrimination. I almost died once from heart surgery due to a family hereditary heart condition. Lots of great things are happening to me. I hope we can all get to know each other, and to learn from this situation,” he concluded.
One veteran member of the faculty, who did not want to be identified, told this newspaper in an interview on Friday that “it was sickening to sit and watch these take place in our board room. We cannot tolerate discrimination or hatred on this campus. We need some serious soul searching.”
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper was able to contact Chester at his Cerritos College office via the telephone on Thursday afternoon to get his reaction.
“This is utter nonsense. I am not going to talk to you. I stand by my comments. Listen to the tape of the meeting. I am going to hang up on you, goodbye,” Chester said.
Board Secretary Sandra Salazar, a key ally of Drayer told LCCN in a statement late Friday afternoon: “the strength of Cerritos College lies in our diversity and difference. Our students, community and faculty are very excited at the composition of the new board of trustees and our shared commitment to critically re- think and re-imagine the design and delivery of a quality community college education curriculum and career pathways. It is unfortunate that there are individuals apparently attempting to undermine our collective work plan and practice of shared governance. Change and transparency are here to stay.”
Copyright. Los Cerritos Community Newspaper. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting allowed by proper attribution. 2013. Hews Media Group
Just when I think my childhood rivalries have been put behind me, I see that adults are still acting the same way as we did as Elementary School Children in the 1950’s. So Sad. Thank you HMG.
From; Virginia a community member from L.A. County.
I was an (openly gay) student of Chester’s around eight years ago.
You did not want to disagree with him or you would feel his wrath.
I am VERY glad to see Los Cerritos Community Newspaper covering this situation.
We need to have a conversation at this community college about ACCEPTANCE and TOLERANCE. Our new Board of Trustees is “from the community” and we need to give them a chance to change the “old boy” attitude that has DESTROYED the fabric of Cerritos College.
I applaud Trustee Drayer for his willingness to stand up and FIGHT for the TAXPAYERS and for those in our community who have felt like second class citizens for far too long!
Mr. Chester represents the Good Ole Boy Country Club entitlement that has ran this college for too long. It is sad to see that it took litigation to bring parity and equity to the board of trustees and even then the new majority are chastised and disrespected constantly by the “Chesters of the College”. I also applaud and stand with Trustee Jean Paul Drayer and just called Cerritos College President asking that this bigoted individual (Mr. Chester) step down as Senate Faculty President immediately. 562-860-2451 Ext:2204.
Where is the College President in properly managing her direct reports and instilling a sense of decorum?
We will no longer be relegated to the back of the bus or the back of the board room! Chester and Lacey must resign or take a golden hand shake!
I had the very unpleasant experience of working with Bob Chester during his first do-nothing stint as Faculty Senate president. His conduct was, at all times, selfish, vengeful, unprofessional, and unethical.
Bob was disdainful of fellow faculty members and set out to specifically slander well-meaning leaders who he perceived were a threat to his power. In fact, his one and only talent is to foment discontent and to pit people against one another for personal gain.
Chester cares nothing for Cerritos College or its faculty, staff, students, and leadership. He only goal in holding “leadership” positions is to get released from teaching duties and amass and spike his retirement (likely illegally).
Any hateful behavior by Bob would be of no surprise and is, in fact, consistent with his past behavior.
I had Bob Chester for a Creative Writing class four years ago. He was hot headed, unaccepting of ideas that conflicted with his own, and very freely expressed his views in a way that was offensive. Toward the end of the semester he boasted that he would be receiving a golden handshake in the very new future, and was more than happy to leave his students behind. My question is, why has this not happened yet?
Cerritos College should be an environment that fosters acceptance and gives room to grow. While attending the college I was not blind to the politics around me. Students and faculty alike should be able to be in attendance without coming up against hatefulness and spite.
FIRST OFF LETS BE REAL HERE! YOUR ARTICLE IS COMPLETELY BIASED AND TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. If you are going to write an article then give ALL the facts. You should have more ethics as writers. Its a disgusting article filled with half truths, statements out of context and flat out lies.
Seems more like Drayer is attempting to make a name for himself using his ‘gay’ label to do so. The Cerritos College campus is FAR FAR from homophobic. We have several openly gay faculty members, staff members and managers. A few of these new board memebers should try learning the procedures and spend time focusing on things that will benefit student success not slandering the faculty senate president.
Half truths? I was there at the meeting. Were you? EVERYONE thought Webster’s statements were disgusting.
That is except for Hughlette and Arthur, who hate the turnover that occurred at the last election.
The paper put the tape online, what more do you need?
You are either Webster or a relative, because no one thought this was right.
Homophobe.
This guy makes me want to puke in his face with his discriminating values..The students pay for his daily meals and he seems to loathe on his own worthless counts.I wouldn’t pay one penny to contribute to his daily pathetic lifestyle of bashing and discriminating unhuman being..Cerritos College needs to fire biggots like him,what ashame that he knows nothing about customer service to his students !! Shame on you Mr,Chester..