The Harris County GOP and Yellow Rose of Texas Republican Women 2014 Election Candidate Forum takes place this Tuesday evening-will the Texas nepotism law be a topic of debate among the Lone Star College System Trustee candidates scheduled to speak?
Texas Attorney General Opinion GA 0415 dated March 15, 2006 explored:
“Whether the nepotism statute applies to a junior college district’s employment of a person related to a member of the district’s board of regents (RQ-0401 -GA)”
and discussed if:
“A member of a junior college board of trustees holds a public office and thus is a “public official” within the nepotism law”.
referring to :
“Texas Attorney General Opinion LO-92-43 (junior college trustees are subject to the nepotism law)”.
and summarized that:
“A nepotism provision, Government code section 573.041, prohibits Del Mar College from employing an adjunct instructor who is related within a prohibited degree to a member of the college districts’ Board of Regents. The Boards delegation of employment authority to the college president does not insulate the board from the application of the nepotism law.”
The Lone Star College System employs a Dean of Instruction and a History professor who both have one thing in common— the LSCS Board of Trustees
A public search of Lone Star College records reveals the husband of Position 7 trustee, Linda S. Good, J.D. is James A. Good— a History professor at LSC- North Harris College.
Cynthia Casparis, Dean of Instruction at LSC-Tomball’s Surgical Technology Department is the wife of Lone Star College System Trustee candidate Lamar Casparis.
Lone Star College System Board policy states:
“A candidate shall not take any affirmative action to influence a System employee or current Board member regarding the appointment, re-appointment, employment, confirmation, re-employment, change in status, compensation or dismissal of a person related to the candidate by blood (consanguinity) within the third degree, or by marriage (affinity) within the second degree. (See Nepotism Chart in this Chapter).
However, this prohibition does not apply to a candidate’s actions taken with respect to a bona fide class or category of employees or prospective employees.”
I am neither implying nor asserting knowledge of any wrong doing on the part of the College, however the surest way to maintain or restore public faith in the integrity of the political process and local government is avoid the pitfalls of nepotism allegations altogether. IMHO, Lone Star College System voters would be best served if Lamar Casparis is not elected to the LSCS Board of Trustees.
It is hard to believe that with some 2-3,000,000 residents in a college district, that the only qualified board members/candidates would have to be nepotistic to those who are employed by the district of which they seek or hold office.
One would think that integrity, honesty and no nepostic practices would a part of the district’s legacy. Apparently that’s why we have Grand Juries, prosecutors and jails/prisons.