2nd vote, same result for Utah College of Applied Technology

After a second round of voting — this time officially — Robert O. Brems will take the helm of the Utah College of Applied Technology.

However, some still believe his appointment is unfair.

Richard Davis, chairman of the Utah County Democratic Party, said Monday that Brems' new appointment is the result of "an inside job."

"It really speaks poorly of the system," he said, adding that appointing Brems "only feeds the cynicism of people."

"This is not based on merit. It's based on being a friend, a pal, a crony," Davis said.

Brems served as UCAT president in 2007 but was asked to resign after an audit found him involved in a number of improper expenditures, including more than $1,000 spent on supplies for a parade float for the Utah County Republican Party, as well as an early retirement package Brems had crafted for himself when he left the Mountainland Applied Technology College to become UCAT president. At the time, he issued an apology, but he never really addressed the issues that led to his resignation until after Monday's vote.

"I hope that can be put behind me, and I want to go to work," Brems said. "This is the beginning of a great new era for UCAT."

Of the board's 16 voting members, 12 were present at a closed meeting on Monday, and seven votes for Brems secured his position as president for a second time, effective Dec. 1, while five voted for Michael Bouwhuis, current president of UCAT's Davis Applied Technology College campus.

"The board ultimately decided that we made the right decision the first time," said Tom Bingham, chairman of the UCAT Board. "However, I will say that both candidates have extraordinary talents to do this job."

Brems, 54, was appointed as president during the Oct. 15 meeting of the board; however, Bingham later said there were "technical omissions" in the meeting, which included voting members not yet sworn in and a violation of state code that dictates that finalist names must be released publicly before a vote can be made.

Utah Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg, who is also a voting UCAT board member, called the process into question and sent a letter to the governor, attorney general and members of the Board of Regents, urging pressure for a second vote. At the Oct. 15 meeting, Sederburg was the only dissenting vote on the decision to appoint Brems.

"I applaud the chair for opening it up. It was a frank and open conversation," he said. "But I still think it is a major mistake."