Council member breaks city’s silence on Patterson mayor’s alleged teacher misconduct
Patterson City Councilwoman Shivaugn Alves on Tuesday promised to advocate for the community in the wake of misconduct allegations against Mayor Dennis McCord, a math teacher at Patterson High School.
Her statement marked the first time a city official has commented on the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department investigation into McCord’s communications with a student since the Patterson Irrigator first reported the case in November.
An underage student sent McCord, 58, a bikini photo on Snapchat and he responded, “Wish I was there,” according to the police report. The department did not file criminal charges against McCord, but the Patterson Joint Unified School District placed McCord on unpaid leave, Superintendent Philip Alfano previously told The Bee.
The school board is conducting its own investigation to determine if McCord violated district policy. Alves, who has worked as an educator in the district for 16 years, said the issue has troubled her.
“I truly hope that city leadership — advising legal counsel, the city manager, my fellow council members and the mayor himself — will move forward with integrity and uphold the ethical standards required of those in our positions,” Alves said. “Our work to begin to rebuild the public’s trust starts now.”
Alves did not immediately respond to an inquiry Wednesday about whether she is calling on McCord to resign or for the council to remove him from office. Alves has worked both in the classroom and the district office, she told The Bee during the 2020 election, and Creekside Middle School directory lists her as a teacher.
No other city leaders have publicly spoken on the investigations, including City Manager Ken Irwin and Councilman Dominic Farinha, who declined to comment via email last month. McCord previously told The Bee the school district directed him to not comment on anything related to the ongoing investigation.
McCord chaired the council meeting Tuesday but did not respond to Alves’ statement or 14 public comments regarding the allegations. Many of the comments called for his resignation or removal from office.
Residents begin recall effort
Kandace Weyhrauch, a homeschooling Patterson mother who has called on McCord to resign, said some residents have started a recall effort. They are gathering proponents for the notice of intention to circulate a recall petition, Weyhrauch said in public comments Tuesday.
Weyhrauch also asked the council to vote for McCord’s resignation, noting he has not resigned voluntarily.
“My prayer now is that the city will take (McCord’s) actions, lack of integrity, and lack of accountability just as seriously as the school district has,” Weyhrauch told the council. “There are many members of the public who are now calling for all of you to be removed from your position because of how you’ve chosen to handle this situation.”
Three of the five council seats are up for election this November: mayor and Districts B and D. Councilman Alfred Parham represents B and Councilwoman Cynthia Homen represents D.
Voters elected McCord as mayor in 2020 with 52.6% of the vote in a three-way race after electing him as a councilman in 2014 and 2018. Patterson mayoral terms last two years.
The next regular Patterson council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
Bee staff writer Lydia Gerike contributed to this article.
This story was originally published January 20, 2022 at 7:22 AM.
