Robert Ketchum, Director of NIC’s Workforce Training was fired Tuesday. I’m told Robert had no idea; that he was called in for some routine meeting and was unexpectedly met with “We don’t need your services anymore. You will be paid until the end of the year but clean your desk out by tomorrow.” NIC Trustee Ron Vieselmeyer claims he knew nothing, I’m told, while Christie Wood, who is Chairperson of the Trustee Board, also says she was kept out of the loop. So who are the true power players? Well, it’s been said that at least three Trustees must be in favor of any big decisions at the school ( they could also be the drivers of the decision). So, that leaves Judy Meyer, Mic Armon and Rolly Williams as the folks likely approving or pushing the abrupt firing of Robert Ketchum.
Our readers have already been commenting on this topic on another thread, so I will copy those comments here and we can start this discussion. What do you think?
Here are the links to the Press articles on this topic: Wednesday’s,, Thursday’s, Today’s
On another note, I think the Coeur d’Alene Press is stepping up to the plate and reporting about the firing of Robert Ketchum by NIC’s administration and trustees. Don’t think for one minute that at least three of the Trustees didn’t concur with what Wood said was Bell’s decision to fire him. Bell will take the heat, but the Trustees bear the responsibility. I sincerely hope that Christie Wood does not go down in the annals of NIC as being the Chairman of the Board of Trustees who oversaw the destruction and demise of NIC. I doubt it will happen, because I think Mr. Ketchum’s firing has stirred up enough genuine concern for the College’s preservation that the people will take back the college and if necessary, throw out Wood, Armon, Meyer, Vieselmeyer, and Williams to do it. In the bigger scheme of things, North Idaho College is more important to the people of north Idaho than those who don’t care about anything but exploiting it for commercial purposes.
Comment by Bill — January 7, 2010 @ 8:23 pm
Comment by mary — January 8, 2010 @ 9:39 am
As for Bob Ketchum. I have had private and NIC business with Mr. Ketchum, and have found him to be exceptional.
The tawdry manner of his ‘firing’ is stupifying. When the college is in desperate need of ‘positive’ PR, they dump an honorable man who has almost single-handedly created the only sustainable ‘local’ jobs.
I wouldn’t mind dumping the Ft.Grounds location for a State Medical/Nursing College and turn the prairie location into the “college for C-students that now want to go to REAL university” and expand the Workforce Training Center to create real jobs.
and BTW…Where is Ron Vieselmeyer on all these issues?
Such a REEAAALLL disappointment.
Comment by Zapatista — January 7, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Comment by mary — January 8, 2010 @ 9:40 am
Mary, good question; where was Vieselmeyer?
He continues to disappoint. (citizen – I corrected your typo on Vieselmeyer’s name. Bill}
Comment by citizen — January 9, 2010 @ 8:54 am
Oops.
Comment by citizen — January 9, 2010 @ 7:17 pm
Hey Mary-
Thanks for ‘resurrecting” my post. Couldn’t understand why it got “Exed” out.
Ron V. was the ‘Conservative’ on the board. I’d sure like for him to write a letter to the editor explaining this festering mess.
Comment by Zapatista — January 9, 2010 @ 8:57 pm
I saw a letter attributed to Christie Wood in Sunday’s Press.
My first reaction was, “I wonder who composed and wrote the letter for her?” Maybe John Martin’s theme song should be “Ghost Writers in the Sky.”
Comment by Bill — January 10, 2010 @ 7:17 am
Bill,
BINGO!! I had the exact same thought. He had plenty experience alibing for Craig for years.
Comment by Will Penny — January 10, 2010 @ 7:42 am
Oh my! The first thought I had was, who wrote that. Great minds do think alike. Yes, I know, a self serving statement. All of the explanations on the firing of Dr. Ketchum are negated by the manner in which he was let go. Had this been in the works for some time, why wasn’t he given proper notice? These people suffer from an over abundance of hubris, and…they are nowhere close to being as intelligent as they would have us believe.
I am left, yet again, with the question, just what kind of a place is this? In CDA, we have the quintessential example of. “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
Comment by rochereau — January 12, 2010 @ 9:44 am