The Lane Community College Board, the group that governs LCC, may be one member short for the rest of the school year.

The LCC Board is divided about who, if anyone, should replace Lisa Fragala. She resigned from her position after she won a seat in the Oregon House during the November election.

Several people applied for the opening — but the board suspended the process indefinitely last month after they couldn’t agree on a candidate.

This week, Board Member Austin Fölnagy asked the board to reconsider leaving the position open. He said the board shouldn’t write a budget, work on legislative issues, or address the potential fallout from Donald Trump’s incoming administration, with only six members.

“We need as many voices at the table as possible, not fewer,” Fölnagy said during Wednesday’s meeting.

Several faculty members, and the union representing college employees, have also urged the board to fill the vacant seat, which is an at-large position.

Three board members said they supported Jesse Maldonado, an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon who is involved in the local Democratic party. Two board members supported Bob Brew, a former Springfield city council member who’s worked as a finance manager for state and local governments.

One board member, Julie Weismann, said the board shouldn’t appoint anyone and voters should decide. She said the board normally works well together and should be able to do college business with only six members.

“I know I’m going to disappoint some of you with my decision,” Weismann said, “but I’m sticking to my principles and my values by trying to remove politics from my decision and leaving it in the hands of the voters.”

A candidate needs four votes to be appointed, according to board documents.

Fölnagy withdrew his request to restart the appointment process after Weismann, and several other board members, said they hadn’t changed their minds.

If they can’t agree, the seat will stay vacant until after the May election.

This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/01/10/lane-community-college-board-election/