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Golden Member
Iowa Central Community College President Robert Paxton will collect $400,000 from the school in return for his resignation.
After 13 years as president of the Fort Dodge school, Paxton resigned Wednesday, one day before the school?s board of trustees was scheduled to discuss an undisclosed ?personnel matter.?
The special meeting was called after The Des Moines Register published a July 4 photograph of Paxton aboard a boat with a group of young people, holding the spigot of a small beer keg suspended over a young woman?s open mouth.
College trustee Mark Crimmins was aware of the photo before it was published and told the Register that Paxton had done nothing improper and the matter wasn?t deserving of the board?s attention.
When questioned by the Register, Paxton initially denied knowing anything about the photo or any recent boat outings with young people. After being told that Crimmins had already informed the Register that he had seen the photo and the two men had discussed it, Paxton acknowledged the photo?s authenticity. He said he had done nothing illegal or improper.
But the photograph, along with Paxton?s explanation for it, was picked up by other media outlets and sparked a heated debate in Fort Dodge over the personal conduct of public officials.
At today?s board meeting, the trustees met for eight minutes and agreed, without discussion, to accept Paxton?s resignation and approve a compensation package for him. The deal calls for Paxton to receive $200,000 in January 2009 and $200,000 in January 2010.
Trustee Larry Hecht said the board felt the compensation package was fair to all parties.
?The thing we struggled with was whether his personal life was, you know, his,? he said. ?I think we all thought that was true. On the other hand, his position ? I guess what you do in your personal life does affect the public?s perception of what you do on the job.?
Hecht said the decision to accept the resignation was ?heart-breaking? given Paxton?s dedication to the school. Asked why there was no discussion of the compensation package, Hecht said, ?It wasn?t like he killed somebody or stole money, so where we?d end up court was ?who knows.??
Paxton was not present for the board meeting, but said in a written statement to the board, ?It was a true joy and honor to serve? the school.
Paxton, 52, has said all of the people who were drinking in the boat when the photograph was taken were of legal age. He said the beer keg was broken and wasn?t dispensing beer into the young woman?s mouth. He said his 19-year-old son, who was arrested for second-offense drunken driving early the next morning, was in the boat but was not drinking.
http://www.desmoinesregister.c...20080828/NEWS/80828006
After 13 years as president of the Fort Dodge school, Paxton resigned Wednesday, one day before the school?s board of trustees was scheduled to discuss an undisclosed ?personnel matter.?
The special meeting was called after The Des Moines Register published a July 4 photograph of Paxton aboard a boat with a group of young people, holding the spigot of a small beer keg suspended over a young woman?s open mouth.
College trustee Mark Crimmins was aware of the photo before it was published and told the Register that Paxton had done nothing improper and the matter wasn?t deserving of the board?s attention.
When questioned by the Register, Paxton initially denied knowing anything about the photo or any recent boat outings with young people. After being told that Crimmins had already informed the Register that he had seen the photo and the two men had discussed it, Paxton acknowledged the photo?s authenticity. He said he had done nothing illegal or improper.
But the photograph, along with Paxton?s explanation for it, was picked up by other media outlets and sparked a heated debate in Fort Dodge over the personal conduct of public officials.
At today?s board meeting, the trustees met for eight minutes and agreed, without discussion, to accept Paxton?s resignation and approve a compensation package for him. The deal calls for Paxton to receive $200,000 in January 2009 and $200,000 in January 2010.
Trustee Larry Hecht said the board felt the compensation package was fair to all parties.
?The thing we struggled with was whether his personal life was, you know, his,? he said. ?I think we all thought that was true. On the other hand, his position ? I guess what you do in your personal life does affect the public?s perception of what you do on the job.?
Hecht said the decision to accept the resignation was ?heart-breaking? given Paxton?s dedication to the school. Asked why there was no discussion of the compensation package, Hecht said, ?It wasn?t like he killed somebody or stole money, so where we?d end up court was ?who knows.??
Paxton was not present for the board meeting, but said in a written statement to the board, ?It was a true joy and honor to serve? the school.
Paxton, 52, has said all of the people who were drinking in the boat when the photograph was taken were of legal age. He said the beer keg was broken and wasn?t dispensing beer into the young woman?s mouth. He said his 19-year-old son, who was arrested for second-offense drunken driving early the next morning, was in the boat but was not drinking.
http://www.desmoinesregister.c...20080828/NEWS/80828006
