Ms. Turner learned of the residency issue herself when she sought to file papers for re-election. She reported this to the district immediately and then resigned. Apparently, a family move in the summer of 2011—while within the same community and zip code -- took Ms. Turner slightly outside the area boundary.

In the weeks since, the district has examined this issue, verified the accuracy of the initial finding, and sought to understand what ramifications it may have for the district and the board. The reasons for any individual’s resignation are not something we normally would discuss, but in this case we felt a fuller explanation was appropriate. We have an obligation to the communities we serve to be transparent in all matters that relate to how our board and district operate.

The district also is reviewing its records from the time of Ms. Turner’s move in an effort to learn whether there may be steps it could take to prevent a similar problem in the future. The responsibility for conforming with residency requirements still rests with the individual member or candidate. However, the District will be considering policies to help prevent a recurrence of what has been an unfortunate event for us.

Ms. Turner served the board for almost 4 years and earned the respect and gratitude of her colleagues as well as the community. Delta College is grateful for her service and is saddened by the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her resignation.

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