As
you may recall, last Spring Governor Cuomo continued the tradition of
appointing political hacks to the CUNY Board of Trustees. In this case it was James
Molinaro to represent Staten Island. The former Borough President is a member
of the Conservative and Republican Parties and was chosen because he crossed
party lines to endorse Cuomo for governor. The PSC raised objections with this
appointment, which also irritated many Democratic members of the State Senate,
who must confirm such nominations. Women’s
rights groups also criticized the nomination after Molinaro called singer
Lady Gaga a “slut.” He has also spoken out against programs to reduce teenage pregnancy and a wide
variety of social welfare programs that CUNY students directly benefit
from. He also opposes gay rights and
access to abortions.
Ironically, CUNY Board Chair Beno Schmidt, chief purveyor of
lower standards and champion of greater power for boards of trustees, argues in a
new book that trustees need to be educational visionaries to fulfill their
new expanded roles as educational innovators. Molinaro has no experience in
higher education and lacks even a BA degree.
As a result of concerted opposition, no action was taken on Molinaro’s nomination
in the last legislative session and it remains unclear whether the governor
intends to put him up formally or rescind the nomination. If the nomination reappears we may decide to
launch a campaign targeting Senate Democrats to oppose it. Stay tuned.
