SCCC trustee Theresa Sanders removed for excessive absences

Suffolk County Community College Trustee Theresa Sanders was removed from the board Thursday after missing a series of meetings this year.

Trustees voted 5-1 to excuse the absences, but the measure needed six votes to pass. Sanders said she missed some meetings after recovering from surgery and attending a family reunion in Jamaica, and believed that some board members were being pressured to vote against her.

“Many of my colleagues have been trying to understand why a simple vote regarding excusing an absence — especially considering my surgery this year — is being disproportionately blown out of proportion,” she said in a prepared statement before the vote.

Sanders, who was forced to resign in August as longtime CEO of the Urban League of Long Island, said she believes it was “unlawful” for trustees to consider information about “false allegations that have been made” on an issue unrelated to the college. She walked out of the room after speaking.

The Urban League of Long Island sued Sanders in August, alleging she mismanaged about $200,000 of the nonprofit’s funds. She has denied wrongdoing.

Supreme Court Judge Christopher Quinn ruled she must step down from the nonprofit but did not rule on the mismanagement claims. In September, Sanders filed a counterclaim alleging the Urban League owes her $250,000 for taking a reduced salary over several years. She is also appealing Quinn’s decision forcing her to resign.

Sanders was absent from college board meetings on April 20, May 11, June 15 and Aug. 17 of this year. College bylaws say when a trustee appointed by the county legislature, such as Sanders, is absent from four consecutive meetings, their seat is considered vacant unless the absences are excused by the board.

Board president E. Christopher Murray, who is also Sanders’ personal attorney, and trustee Gemma deLeon-Lopresti did not attend Thursday's meeting. Sanders did not vote, and former trustee Jim Morgo stepped down from the board earlier this year.

Trustee Belinda Pagdanganan was the only member to vote against excusing Sanders' absences. She declined to comment after the meeting.

Murray said he was disappointed in the decision.

“I can’t imagine this is not tied to the Urban League lawsuit,” he said. “I assume if there were no lawsuit there would be no problem or controversy.”

Board members Gordon Canary, Kevin O’Connor and Shirley Coverdale praised Sanders’ service. Appointed to the unpaid board in 2011, Sanders served two terms as chairwoman until 2019.

“Personally, she was a mentor to me when I joined the board and really helped me understand what we do and what our goals are and how we are supposed to act as trustees,” O’Connor said.

“She’s given countless hours, so much energy to this college,” Canary said.

The board last month delayed action on whether to excuse Sanders' absences. At the same meeting, Suffolk County Legis. Trish Bergin, a member of the legislature's Education and Labor Committee, said she would try to expel Sanders through another mechanism which Murray called “political grandstanding.”

Bergin was not at Thursday's meeting and could not immediately be reached for comment.

In February, Sanders faced criticism for advocating for SCCC and the Urban League of Long Island to operate the new Wyandanch Technology Opportunity Center, an arrangement that would have provided $2,500 in monthly revenue to the Urban League. 

Sanders said she acted appropriately because she disclosed her role with the Urban League and did not plan to formally vote on the arrangement.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.