🚨 UPDATE!! PAULA ARNO MARTINEZ AND WILMA CARTAGENA HAVE RESIGNED!! 🚨

Today marks a significant moment for Wenatchee Valley College. Paula Arno Martinez and Wilma Cartagena have resigned from the WVC Board of Trustees. According to reporting by Dominick Bonny, Wilma Cartagena explained her resignation by stating: “I chose to protect the College from further harassment by an individual who engaged in online bullying and harassment against Paula and me. Additionally, I felt the need to protect my own privacy and the privacy of the people I care about.” If Ms. Cartagena was referring to the individual who brought these records to public attention, then I respectfully disagree with that characterization. The public concern surrounding the Board did not arise because someone lawfully requested or reported public records. It arose because of what those records revealed. The text messages were written by public officials, preserved by the college, and produced in response to lawful Public Records Act requests. They speak for themselves. It is therefore disappointing, though perhaps not surprising, to see attention directed toward an unnamed “individual” rather than toward the conduct reflected in the released text messages. Public officials are accountable for their own words and actions. Those who lawfully obtain and report public records do not create those records—they simply bring them into public view. Regardless of the reasons for today’s resignations, this is a significant step toward restoring public confidence in Wenatchee Valley College. But the work is not finished. The Governor now has the opportunity to appoint new trustees who will help determine the future direction of our college. I hope those appointments strengthen the values that WVC itself says it stands for: student-centeredness, accountability, and transparency. Thank you to everyone who has supported transparency, accountability, and open government by reading the records, asking questions, signing the petition, and staying engaged. The fight for a better Wenatchee Valley College continues.