Lawler has the best shot at beating Hochul, polling analysis finds
And SUNY wants to change how community college presidents are selected to help avoid future mishaps.
Good afternoon — it’s Tuesday and Egg Day.
In today’s CapCon:
If Republicans want to win the race for governor next year, their candidate must have a critical quality, a new polling memo argues.
Rep. Elise Stefanik took her first step toward a potential campaign for governor.
SUNY wants more oversight of how community college presidents are chosen in response to recent revelations.
Committee agendas have started to trickle out, with signs that at least one high-profile bill could pass both chambers before the end of session.
A trio of prison bills introduced by Assembly Corrections Chair Erik Dilan could signal that an end-of-session package is coming.
Names in today’s CapCon: SUNY Board of Trustees, Roger Ramsammy, Mike Lawler, Elise Stefanik, Jen Lunsford, Hector LaSalle, Erik Dilan
🎓 SUNY is proposing changes to how community college leaders are chosen
I don’t often tell you about the inside baseball of higher education in New York but this is a rare look into the power dynamics involved in SUNY’s ongoing evolution.
The selection process for new presidents of community colleges would change under a resolution approved Tuesday by the SUNY Board of Trustees.
The shift is partly the result of an interest from SUNY leadership to have more input in the selection process and oversight of the contracts offered to finalists, according to a senior official in the system.
When Roger Ramsammy was fired as president of Hudson Valley Community College after being accused of sexual harassment - allegations he denies — his contract included a provision that allowed him to be paid for an additional 60 days — amounting to $69,000.
SUNY wants to prevent a situation like that from happening again, the official said. There are two big changes to the process, which has already been used as part of a pilot program in recent months.
The first deals with how a new president of a community college is selected.
Community colleges have historically identified a single finalist to recommend for approval from the SUNY Board of Trustees. The new rule would permanently require the college’s board to choose three finalists and submit them to the SUNY chancellor for review.
After that review, the SUNY chancellor would give the college’s board feedback on each finalist. The local board would still make the final recommendation.
The second change would allow the chancellor, or their designee, to review and approve the contract or any contract amendments offered to the prospective president. That’s intended to help the system avoid contracts with provisions similar to the payout received by Ramsammy.
It would also prevent interim leaders of those colleges from serving for more than a year — a move targeted, in part, at Nassau Community College, which hasn’t had a permanent president since 2022.
“Job creators throughout New York state know that when they invest in a SUNY graduate, they are getting a highly skilled, highly motivated New Yorker ready to hit the ground running,” the SUNY Board of Trustees said in a statement.
“Our actions today help strengthen our community colleges for this opportunity through additional operating aid, and solid campus leadership,” the board added.
The resolution doesn’t implement the changes immediately. They still have to go through the state’s rule-making process, which will allow an opportunity for public comment on the proposal.
It doesn’t remove any power from community colleges but could rub rural leaders the wrong way, one political observer noted.
The boards of community colleges have preferred local control over leadership, rather than having SUNY over their shoulder. The resolution is seen as a compromise between that position and a desire from SUNY to play a larger role in the screening.
Whether they’ll voice any pushback to the proposal remains to be seen; I’ll keep an eye on the statewide group representing community colleges for any reaction.
More from the Times Union (Free for CapCon Subscribers):
Alcohol reform struggles again as Legislature’s session nears end
A push to end NY being only state to ban 'hands-free' gas pumps
There’s a lot to watch in politics. This section gives you a quick look at news on elections that might interest you.
📊 A moderate Republican has the best shot against Hochul, analysis finds
A new polling memo that’s making the rounds among Republicans in New York and Washington, D.C., could spell good news for U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler.
Lawler is one of at least two Republicans seriously considering a run for governor in New York next year against whoever wins the Democratic primary. The other is Rep. Elise Stefanik, a top conservative ally of President Donald J. Trump.
But the polling memo found that may not be to Stefanik’s benefit if she decides to run.
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