Richard Dick Gaylord plans to take students and staff concerns from Long Beach City College to heart and make a difference in the college’s community by running for a seat on the board of trustees.
As a well-experienced chairman for other associations, Gaylord worked in the personnel commission at LBCC and was a board member of the St. Mary Medical Center.
He has great respect for students and is now campaigning for the seat of Doug Otto in the Board of Trustees at LBCC, who is departing his time here at the college.
Otto has been a trustee for 15 years and decided to take his leave and continue on to work for the Long Beach Unified School District.
“It’s a disappointment that I’ve made this decision, but I think there are more issues in the K-12 system than higher education,” Otto said.
Vivian Malaalu, the board trustee president said, “I support him if that’s what he wants to do, but I will not be making any endorsement until the filing period closes.”
Gaylord comes in with his focus on students, fiscal responsibility, staff morale, and telling the LBCC story.
Richard wants to motivate students to stay in school and finish their education in order to move on and work in their careers.
Gaylord’s plans to prioritize staff morale, “Make sure the faculty are happy but even more critical is the need to retain them, make certain they are paid fairly, have good benefits, and work in a productive environment,” Gaylord said.
“I think being involved in the community, telling high school students what the college has to offer, getting donors to give scholarships to help the college those are things that start immediately and are ongoing as a board of trustee member, things you do from day one,” Gaylord said.
Before election day comes, Gaylord is preparing to talk to a lot of people, such as students, administrators, and voters.
Election day will take place on Nov. 3, 2020, voters can vote in person or by mail. Gaylord wishes to represent LBCC students and staff.