From Deseret News archives:
Centro Civico Mexicano to hold special meeting on its leadership
Rodriguez on Friday declined to comment on whether the meeting would mean an attempt to remove president John Renteria from the board of directors.
Renteria was jailed June 8 after he violated his probation for misdemeanor traffic offenses. Renteria is now on supervised release and says the board violated the organization's bylaws by ousting him and reorganizing while he was jailed.
Rodriguez denied those claims, saying, "We needed some sort of leadership in his absence.
"We do know the bylaws, and we went by the bylaws," she said. "We thought it was best for the board to continue what it was doing, and that meant someone had to step in his place."
Renteria's jail time came after he told the judge he drank alcohol in violation of his probation and had twice driven on a revoked license. He has since been released and must now serve 30 days of supervised release with an ankle monitor.
The Centro Civico bylaws state that removal of a member of the board of directors generally requires the vote of two-thirds of the members of Centro Civico Mexicano present at a general membership meeting. Fifteen days written notice is required before such a meeting can occur.
Rodriguez said Renteria hasn't been removed.
"Technically, he is still the chair of the board," she said. "I have been acting president. I have input, and he can still make decisions with the approval of the board."
She declined to comment on whether the board thought Renteria's jail time would impact his leadership or the organization's reputation, saying only that more information would be available after the upcoming meeting.
For his part, Renteria said earlier in the week, "there's no reason why I shouldn't be" president, calling his legal troubles a "little mistake."
Renteria was to find out Friday the restrictions of his supervised release, but did not return Deseret Morning News phone calls for comment. On Thursday, he had expressed hope he'd be able to continue running both Centro Civico and his campaign for Salt Lake City mayor.
Centro Civico, founded in the 1930s by immigrants from Mexico, is on of the state's oldest Hispanic nonprofit organizations.
It houses services such as alternative high school, computer lab and English as a second language programs. The center also hosts cultural celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day.
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com
