Former Metro spokeswoman: college
subdues controversy

By Perry Swanson
The Metropolitan

Metro spokeswoman Sherry Patten quit Dec. 31, half a year after starting at the college July 11.

Patten said she resigned because college administrators were unhappy with her explanation of sensitive issues to the press.

One example was a story in The Metropolitan on Nov. 14 about funding from the Board of Trustees for the State Colleges in Colorado, the Metroâs governing board, Patten said.

The article reported that Metro gets the second lowest public funding per student among the four state colleges.
In an interview for the article, Patten said Metro President Sheila Kaplan wouldnât comment on funding because criticism would be perceived as being disloyal to the Board of Trustees.

ãYou need to ask them (officials on the Board of Trustees) whether or not they see (the plan) as fair. You wonât hear it from us,ä she said in the article.

The quote was accurate, Patten said, but it put Kaplan in a bad light because she is trying to smooth over the funding issue with the board. Pattenâs supervisor, Debbie Thomas, said she took issue with the quote and talked with Patten about it.

Thomas, associate vice president of College Communications, said it was a matter of recognizing the trusteesâ responsibility for managing the state collegesâ budgets, not a question of Kaplanâs loyalty. Patten said the reaction to that quote was emblematic of Metroâs tendency to avoid controversy, a situation that made her job of speaking for the college difficult.

ãI think that what they want and expect from that (College Communications) office are different than most people can deliver,ä she said. ãYou sort of get a clue that things are not going well, and then you find something else.ä

Thomas disagreed.

ãI just look back at my year (at Metro), and there have been plenty of controversial and contentious things that weâve all had to deal with,ä she said.

Before Metro, Patten worked in public relations for the City of Aurora. At Metro, Patten was responsible for media relations and producing internal publications, such as The Met Journal. 

Thomas said she will hire someone to replace Patten or rework the position to include different responsibilities. 
Patten has since started a job at the  Colorado Department of Justice.