Roger Kempa.  Graduate of COD, class of 73. Also a BoT candidate. (Mentions the 1.2 million dollar water fountain. How does that help education?) (Discusses how Brueder’s letter discusses retirement as a life decision, that he has been here twice as long as he planned to be. He wants to retire early but wants to stay on the taxpayers shoulders by taking the severance package) Dr. Brueder should leave now if that’s what he wants, just like any other administrator.

Jill Spielman. IS a teacher, for progress and for common sense. I have a small business. I have clients. If I cancel a contract, I do not expect my clients to pay me for the work that I am not going to do. If Brueder wants to retire, let him do it. Use common sense and reject any severance package for Dr. Brueder. I challenge our lawmakers to make a law that would prohibit severance packages for public employees. Name it after Dr. Brueder.

Frank Napolitano. agenda item 6. Proceduarl reason for our being here tonight. I want to talk about the opportunity that procedural error brings us. It’s called a “mulligan.” An opportunity to do what’s right. Serve the people you were elected to represent. We’ve heard from many people tonight about this package. Now listen to the people here tonight, you are public servants, and reconsider this item, and also do not  cut off people who want to speak here at 8:30. Let the people speak.

Adam Andrejzewski. OpentheBooks. We’ve paid scrutiny for 8 months to every single penny of expenditures made by COD. Yesterday we filed suit to keep Chair Birt from keeping people from sitting in a separate meeting watching this on screen. Thank you everybody who is here tonight I thank all of you. You BoT have admitted that you negotiated Dr. Brueder’s contract in secret. You’ve admitted this. (He goes on to be specific about what has happened in violation of the Illinois Open Meetings ACT) Yesterday the Chicago Tribune published an article about these secret meeting. Never has Brueder’s contract been properly placed on a meeting agenda. At stake is nearly 3 million dollars of compensation,  4.4 million dollars who will be paid out if this goes through. Your college is a community college and your students are working people. Start listening to your stakeholders.

REsident — Richard Skota.  this is not a regular meeting for this BoT. We are all facing each other. Traditionally there are 5 seats for public speakers and five police officers to guard them. This BoT had to be badgered into bringing in the American flag. They still refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Malfeasance has happened here. Even though you may not have committed it yourself, if you were aware of it and did nothing to stop it, you are as bad as the person who did it. The angst of this audience is improperly directed at Dr. Brueder. Nothing could have happened without the complicity of this BoT (he names all except Hamilton) We should be asking Dr. Brueder to resign, we should be asking you to resign, BoT. Not Brueder. We have something simple to guide us for the future — no Savage or Svoboda or Wozniak — do not vote for them in the upcoming election.  Also please tell me Dr. Brueder you have not killed an elephant.o

Stew Gilgis. I am angry with the BoT also. They have allowed this management and fiscal irresponsibility. Brueder and administration outrageous contracts, acted in secrecy, stifled conversation,. You would have been fired in the private sector immediately. I ask Kim Savage nad Nancy Svoboda, please reconsider and withdraw your names fomr candidacy. We taxpayers have lost our trust in you based on your performance. If you were to reelected, the public scrutiny, criticsm and spotlight, will all continue for the next 6 years.  Please all other trustees (except Hamilton) consider resigning. It must be very stressful for you to listen to all the criticism from all the citizens andperhaps that’s why you keepo so many things hidden from us,but we arenot going to go away.

Charles Bernstein. All 3 of my kids went to COD. My remarks go to the BoT. HAve any of you except Hamilton ever met a Brueder initiative that you didn’t like? You are here to exercise some responsilbilty. I have been watching the scandals that go on and on. The harm that has happened to the reputation of this college, how can you vote for this severance package? How can you make it worse? I ask you, think about it. I urge you to change your vote.

Kathy Hamilton. Tonight if this majority approves this matter it will be the worst rubber stamping I have ever seen. This Bot could not find the right way to do the wrong thing. Now they think they have found the right way to do the wrong thing but they have not. In the Trbune this morning our college could not answer a simple question — why were previous contract changes done differently? The College says “I have no answer.” Tonight inaddition to shovel 762,00 to Brueder, this meeting is also to ratify those previous contracts.  We should fire Dr. Brueder. Look at this circus he has created. Look around please. The community is not with you. The Tribune article shows that Brueder has already damaged this college’s reputation. (She names so called audits, booze accounts, radio scandal)

Standing ovation for Hamilton

Residnet — I read in the Tribune what has happened here. I came to see what have the people of DuPage done by putting you on thisBoard? The best dressed collection of gangsters I have seen. You sit there stoic,unreactive, except Wozniak, who appears amused by these comments. If you have any pride or care for this community, think about what you have done. Try to retrieve your reutation or yo will go down as the most corrupt Board this community has ever seen

Joe Wozniak Sr. Candiate for COD BoT. MY request tonight is for the BoT to vote against the severance package for Dr. Brueder. Pay him his normal salary until here retires. Only that. Naming the Homeland Security Building after Dr. Brueder is sufficient honor. The taxpayers do not need to fund a 760,000 buyout. BoT,do what you can to stop this buyout. COD is a public college. Do not waste our taxpayers dollars. Our State is in debt. Let the buck stop here, tonight.