> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # SuSanne Trimbath - URL: https://www.smdp.com/susanne-trimbath/ - Published: 2004-10-27T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T05:21:00.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import Endorsed by: Beholden to none. Responsible to all Question #1: In 100 words or less, what about your background makes you a qualified Santa Monica College Trustee? My business experience combined with advanced education makes me uniquely qualified for the position. I worked in finance in both large and small firms, profit and non-profit, throughout my career. I earned both my bachelor and master degrees while working full time. I’m a lifelong learner who returned to school after nearly 20 years in business to attain my Ph.D. I’ve taught classes at business and vocational schools. I will understand the perspective of the community, students, faculty, and staff because I’ve already walked a mile in their shoes. Question #2: In 300 words or less, do you agree with the way the SMC administration dealt with last year’s budget shortfall (i.e., the elimination of several academic programs)? What would you have done differently? Is it wise for the college and students to bring back those programs? You must have been living in a cave to not have anticipated that the state would not be able to maintain its level of funding for community colleges after 2000\. So why didn’t SMC have a plan? The college got into serious financial trouble and they did not have a plan to manage the changing budget level and they don’t have a plan to solve the problem going forward. Here’s just one example of the problems yet to come. The cost of servicing the bonds issued after the 1992 election will rise nearly fivefold in 2009 and stay there for more than a decade. Debt payments on that debt alone will rise from about $1.7 million this year to $8.4 million, where it will remain for 14 years. If you didn’t know this already, take a close look at the 2003 audit. SMC has not presented a plan to manage these increased debt payments. SMC’s 2003 audit also includes a warning and expresses the belief that it is “extremely critical” for management to “to protect the financial solvency of the district.” This statement calls into question not just the “budget shortfall” but the ability of the college to avoid bankruptcy (remain solvent). Furthermore, questions remained outstanding for five years running without receiving responses that would satisfy the concerns of outside auditors. Adding to the insult, meetings required for some state funding (EOPS) were not held between 2001 and 2003\. We need to seriously address the concerns expressed by the auditors. They monitor the finances of SMC and should not be ignored. Sadly, classes and vocational training programs have been the scapegoat. Instead, we could capitalize on business relationships to help SMC bring back the training for the labor pool that regional employers will need during the coming economic expansion. Question #3: In 300 words or less, why do you think the city of Santa Monica and SMC have had a strained relationship for years? How would you bridge that gap? In a recent meeting with Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York, I got some advice on why Santa Monica and SMC should work together. He calls it “exercises in mutuality.” It’s in everyone’s best interest to support the presence of the most important regional college and it’s in the college’s best interest to garner support from the community. Remember, the “city” is not some entity that exists without the residents. Both the college and the city depend on the community for financing. Understanding that the strain in the relationship between the college and the city is really a strain in the relationship between the college and the neighborhoods. We can see that we are at a critical juncture. There is no “community college” without a “community” to support it. Perhaps the time for dialogue is over. Perhaps the times has come for SMC to listen. I invite anyone living in the neighborhood of an SMC facility to contact me with their issues so that, win or lose, I can use my candidacy to promote the issues important to the neighborhoods. These issues need to be brought to the forefront in a way that forces SMC to listen to the needs of the community. When SMC is really listening, they will be responsive in a way that is not defensive — responsive in a way that actually incorporates what the community is saying into the plans and operations of SMC. The core problem seems to be growth of the college both in the number of students and in the expanses of land owned and occupied by the college. Mayor Bloom recently pointed out (in a candidates’ forum shown on CityTV) that elements of state funding are tied to the rate of increase in enrollment. This is a well-defined, addressable issue. Question #4: In 300 words or less, there have been tensions between faculty and college administrators in recent years. Why do you think the faculty is upset and what’s the first step toward addressing their concerns? I got quite an earful when I first talked to people about the possibility of running for election to the board of trustees. One faculty member even said to me, “Why would you want to be part of that mess?” Several people only agreed to sign the petition to put my name on the ballot after I assured them that I did not know any current members of the City Council or the college administration. If the tensions were the result of simple personality clashes, I don’t think that strangers at the farmers’ market would be telling me about the problems that they see. These are serious issues that I can only address as a member of the board of trustees. The first step to resolving these tensions is to bring in a fresh pair of eyes. I promise not only to stand up for what is right. I promise to stand up against what is wrong. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 27, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102704.pdf?ref=smdp.com)