County Chief Executive Dan Onorato yesterday withdrew proposed reappointments of two Community College of Allegheny County trustees including George Fechter, a key supporter of the school's president, Stewart Sutin.

		Previous Story Panel rejects CCAC trustee (02/17/06)

The decision involving Mr. Fechter and Jerry Fedele comes with the college and its board of trustees already facing complaints regarding oversight and spending practices -- criticisms voiced by faculty and their union, as well as from officials within county government.

Terms for both trustees expired December 2005. Had Mr. Fechter's name gone before County Council last evening he would almost certainly have been voted down, said council President Rich Fitzgerald, D-Squirrel Hill.

"I think there's a message that's been sent by the council that we haven't been happy with some of the things that have been going on" at the college, Mr. Fitzgerald said. "I think there are going to be some changes over there (in) how the college (spends) money and operates some programs."

Last Thursday, the council's committee on appointment review voted 7 to 0 with one abstention to recommend against Mr. Fechter's appointment, citing issues from CCAC's decision to spend $48,000 to relocate two newly hired executives in the midst of a budget crisis, to the awarding of a $20,000 performance bonus to Dr. Sutin this year, even as a reaccrediting body was issuing a warning about the college.

County Manager Jim Flynn couldn't say if Mr. Fechter, an executive with the Soffer Organization who headed the search that brought Dr. Sutin to campus in 2003, would be resubmitted.

The county law department has been asked to research what the withdrawal means to CCAC's board makeup, but Mr. Fitzgerald said of Mr. Fechter, "My sense is he's off the board."

Mr. Fedele, an executive with West Penn Allegheny Health System, did not appear for a committee hearing on his reappointment last week, and his name likely will be resubmitted by Mr. Onorato for consideration, said Mr. Flynn.

CCAC spokeswoman Tanya Sander-Marks said last night that the school respects the county's role in picking trustees and will work with whoever is submitted for board membership.

Minutes from Thursday's meeting of the committee on appointment review show that one of the votes cast was by council Vice President Charles Martoni, a longtime CCAC employee and dean of student development.

Yesterday, after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked the county solicitor if that was a conflict of interest, Mr. Martoni said he received a written opinion from Solicitor Michael Wojcik telling him it is inappropriate to vote on CCAC matters, and he will refrain.

Mr. Martoni insisted he did not join the committee's voice vote last week, did not speak during the meeting and will ask that those minutes be amended. Asked why he did not state to the committee his intention to abstain, he said, "That was a mistake. I should have."

Also yesterday, Mr. Onorato submitted for reappointment another CCAC board member, Steven G. Zylstra. His name has been referred to the reappointment review committee.