COD's Breuder, Birt shoot the messengers...figuratively

College of DuPage President Robert Breuder and COD Board Chair Erin Burt fired back at 14 critics at the COD Board meeting July 17 over charges of improper lobbying for a $20 million dollar grant from the state, and general financial mismanagement, including a gourmet public restaurant that lost $546,000 in 2012. Unfortunately, neither Breud...er nor Birt used facts, logic or in Breuder's case, good English, in their puzzling defense. After the 14 critics spoke out against Breuder and the Board, Chairwoman Erin Burt launched an attack on Board member Kathy Hamilton, the sole June 26 vote against the proposed $50 million building, which blamed the entire Grantgate and financial mismanagement matter on Hamilton's publically speaking about it. That's simply stifling a whistleblower who invoked her First Amendment rights to bring these shenanigans to the light of day. Burt, was shocked, shocked that Hamilton voted against the new $50 million classroom building after she agreed to the agenda containing the building request and allegedly didn't voice opposition till the vote. Horrors! Someone should explain to Chair Birt that finalizing approval or disapproval of a project is the purpose of the vote. Otherwise why take one?

But Dr. Breuder topped Birt in the ludicrousness of his defense. He claimed the 14 speakers were a "coordinated and orchestrated" attempt to discredit him but offered no evidence to support that charge. He implied that COD is "the finest community college of its kind in the country" simply because some unnamed folks say it is. The only one I know who says that is Dr. Robert Breuder. Then the corker. Breuder claimed that "It's a tragedy to sit here and be bludgeoned, literally bludgeoned, ... by people to find fault with every dimension of this institution and every dimension of this leadership." Gee, if Dr. Breuder was literally bludgeoned, he'd be walking around in bandages and the 14 speakers would be trying to make bail. 

 Maybe it's time for both Birt and Breuder to walk the plank....figuratively, of course.