GILROY
– Gavilan College trustees are staunchly defending their
selection of an Oakland-based political consulting firm after
questions of the company’s election track record were raised last
week.
GILROY – Gavilan College trustees are staunchly defending their selection of an Oakland-based political consulting firm after questions of the company’s election track record were raised last week.
The Lew Edwards Group, hired May 13 by trustees to determine if a multimillion-dollar bond measure on a 2004 ballot could be successful, was dropped midway through school bond campaigns in California last year. Ironically, the two firms that competed for the Gavilan consulting job May 13 took over those campaigns, and both were victorious come election time.
Lew Edwards references two of those campaigns – State Center Community College and Napa Valley Community College – in a press release titled “The Lew Edwards Group Racks Up More Wins for Public Education Clients.”
Catherine Lew, the firm’s lead consultant for Gavilan, would not comment specifically on the campaigns, citing company policy. However, Lew stressed her firm was not fired and that Lew Edwards specializes in more than just election campaigns.
“We’re not solely an election consulting firm. The services we provide run the range from political advice to public relations services,” Lew said. “It’s not unusual to run only the first phase of a campaign.”
Bond campaigns, as a result of state law, typically go through two phases before voters go to polls.
During phase one, school districts gauge whether there is voter support for a bond measure. A district’s needs – such as new construction, land purchases or renovations – also may be determined at this time. By the end of phase one, trustees decide if they will put the bond measure on a ballot.
Once the measure is ballot bound, a school district cannot use taxpayer money to campaign for the bond. A group independent of the district must be formed to raise funds and run the campaign. Sometimes the group will rehire the district’s consultant, sometimes it will not.
“This is not a concern for me,” Trustee Mark Dover said. “We decided on (Lew Edwards) based on their experience and expertise in pre-determining if a bond has a chance to pass. That’s different from the election campaign.”
Gavilan school board President Laura Perry agrees.
“Lots of campaigns use multiple advisers,” Perry said. “I’m comfortable with that.”
Opinions vary regarding why Lew Edwards was not rehired for phase two of the recent campaigns.
Theresa Patterson, the executive director for public and legislative relations at State Center College, said her school’s experience with Lew Edwards was “a very positive” one.
“I’m not sure why the committee didn’t hire them for the second phase, but it could have been because Lew Edwards was working on a controversial transportation campaign at the time,” Patterson said. “You never know how voters will react if they associate something controversial with your campaign. But this is really just my guess.”
In the March 2002 election, Santa Rosa Community College passed a $251 million bond. Lew Edwards ran the first phase of that campaign but not the second.
Ron Root, the Vice President of Santa Rosa College, would not comment in detail but said the campaign did not rehire Lew Edwards because it found “a better fit to move us into the political part of the campaign.”
“You have to understand, we’ve been around for more than 80 years, and we’d never done this before,” Root said. “We felt we needed some hand holding and a little more guidance.”
Bill Berry, owner and principal for William Berry Campaigns, said his firm has never been hired by a school district only to be passed over by the independent committee later. Berry was one of the two consultants passed over by Gavilan trustees May 13.
“I don’t know why you’d only want a consultant to work with you on the first half of a campaign,” Berry said. “Every school district I’ve ever worked with I’ve done both ends or at least the campaign (phase two).”
Barry Barnes, of Terris Barnes Walters, said his firm has lost a consulting job between phases one and two.
“But it’s rare. It happened to us once in the last six years,” Barnes said. “Consistency is key. You never get into these things to do the front end and not the back end.”
San Jose/Evergreen Community College was the district which did not rehire Barnes’ firm six years ago. Barnes said although the bond was ultimately successful, he does not list it on his company’s literature.
Incidentally, it was the Lew Edwards Group that took over the San Jose/Evergreen campaign.
Lew Edwards’ reputation is sitting well with Gavilan Trustee Leonard Washington, who teaches at San Jose/Evergreen.
“They did a nice professional job in making sure that we all stayed informed,” Washington said. “And the bond passed.”
