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Letter to my colleagues and friends


Thursday, December 18, 2008 5:47 AM PST

For the past 18 years I have faithfully served on the Delta College board and given my life for the betterment of Delta College.

My family and I have been deeply involved in education for many years, and I continue my commitment to making the Delta College system a better place for students to receive their education.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my many supporters, who have contacted me over the last several days with their support and kind words. Since the recent death of my husband, and my own medical problems, I have received so much support and kindness that I am deeply moved by the outpouring of emotion. Needless to say, you have all made these difficult times more bearable.

I look forward to spending time with my family and supporters over the weeks and months to come. I am forever grateful and am truly humbled by the outpouring of emotion, especially from Delta College students. I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank all of my supporters and family for their continued support, kindness and prayers.

Maria Elena Serna
Lodi

Reader Feedback

deltaconfidential wrote on Dec 20, 2008 9:43 PM:

" dear ms. serna, are you ready to apologize to all of us. i'm sure no one really cares about how trying these times are for you after you premeditatedly stold. everyone on campus know you've been stealing, lying and cheating for years. are you too good and too high above us to apologize? i'm sure the only students calling you are the ones who are stealing from the flea market. you taught them well,,,,not really, they are being caught too! "

educator wrote on Dec 19, 2008 7:39 PM:

" Hey Maria....Respond to these bloggers! Speak to those of us who don't support your thievery.

Please explain how, in your mind, what you did was right.

OR...move to a small cabin and write you manifesto that explains it all. "

educator wrote on Dec 19, 2008 7:35 PM:

" Mad Dog...you have a way with words. "

Mad Dog wrote on Dec 19, 2008 4:10 PM:

" oh wait...nevermind. I looked up "BS" in the dictionary....it has a picture of Ms Serna next to it. "

Mad Dog wrote on Dec 19, 2008 4:09 PM:

" Additional words/phrases to define: "BS"? someone used that a few messages ago. Please elaborate? "

educator wrote on Dec 19, 2008 2:38 PM:

" I'm still waiting for Maria to turn in her assignment...


She can earn extra credit by adding these words to the definition list.

Delusional:
psychotic: "

JF wrote on Dec 19, 2008 11:00 AM:

" BOOM Shaka Laka! To use a quote the late great Howard Cosell stated as he sat ring side during Ali/Frazier 1, much like all of us through this horrid boards criminal actions have sat, he said with exuberant inflection and vigor, yelling to the crowd, "DOWN GOES SERNA! DOWN GOES SERNA"! "

JF wrote on Dec 19, 2008 10:31 AM:

" Perfect example of the arrogance of a self fulfilling, ego maniacal and cowardly local poilitician who used her heritage as a shield from scrutiny to bludgeon our heads to get her way. Double billing is a pimple on her rear compared to what her and her fellow board members did with our money and our assets. Shameful and disgusting! "

KenH wrote on Dec 19, 2008 3:11 AM:

" *reads letter with a raised eye-brown and shakes head at the BS*

Sorry Serna but not just your thievery, but also your decisions have made SJDC a piss-poor campus to attend, it is now a mockery, thanks for helping in the aide of ruining a great community college.

Bon voyage "

deltaconfidential wrote on Dec 18, 2008 4:45 PM:

" al-da-long/commonsense1 (all the same family)maria's letter must be intended for you-all. you've only espoused praise for her, you know "high integrity" "honest person". the parties at delta by all employees haven't stopped yet since you/(and your hubby/daddy) and maria have departed in shame ridicule. "

educator wrote on Dec 18, 2008 3:22 PM:

" Homework for Ms. Serna:

Please define the following words or phrases:

Contrite:
Responsibility:
Shame:
Crime:
Theft:
Abuse of Power:


Please leave on my desk..See you next Tuesday! "

LodiSafeway wrote on Dec 18, 2008 9:55 AM:

" Reality - sure, OJ apologized for his "current" actions, but there are those still waiting for some sort of admission regarding the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. I would suspect that he will be remembered for his deeds long after Ms. Serna has drifted into obscurity.

Still, I am hopeful that the name "Serna" will not be forever tarnished as a result of the stupidity of this one. Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna was a man of impeccable character and decency. This is where the quality of that name should reside. "

reality wrote on Dec 18, 2008 9:44 AM:

" DENIAL - this is pathetic - even OJ Simpson apologized for his actions. Serna had an opportunity to save some face and she blew it. she will forever be known as a crook "

LodiSafeway wrote on Dec 18, 2008 8:38 AM:

" You're right Whoa Nellie! nolo contendere (Latin for "I do not wish to contend") is someone's attempt to relieve themselves of a trial (although the affect is the same as a guilty plea), while down the road they can claim that they never actually said that they "did it." Because of her plea in this way, the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor and as a result of that her punishment was nowhere near what it could have been had she opted for a jury trial.

So I suppose she should be given some credit for not claiming innocence in her letter, although a private communication to those for whom it is intended would have been more appropriate. "

Whoa Nellie! wrote on Dec 18, 2008 8:20 AM:

" btw, Safeway, she did not plead guilty, she pleaded "no contest." Much much different.

No Contest is usually used by criminals who are in denial. "

Whoa Nellie! wrote on Dec 18, 2008 8:18 AM:

" No apology? No request for our forgiveness?

She goes out of the way to mention the death of her husband, her back surgery, and how others came to her aid.

Does she expect me to sweep this under the rug with a simple letter to the Editor?

This just shows how out of touch she really is with the general public.

Maria, you are a crook. Go away quietly. "

LodiSafeway wrote on Dec 18, 2008 7:18 AM:

" While I fully support anyone's desire to write a "Letter to the Editor" on just about any subject they please, this self-serving diatribe should have been relegated to a personal letter (or e-mail) sent only to those "colleagues and friends" for which it was intended.

If memory serves me at all well, Serna pleaded guilty to at the very least attempting to steal money. As such I would expect someone under this shadow of dishonesty to slip quietly into obscurity and wait for the heat to die down.

Sadly, this type of communication will do little more than continue to draw the ire of those who find Serna's behavior to be unforgiveable (at least for now). Her thinly-veiled attempt to blame her woes on the death of her husband and medical problems reveals a very serious mental pathology that does nothing to mitigate her legal situation.

In short, this letter and the author are nothing more than pathetic. "

Mad Dog wrote on Dec 18, 2008 3:16 AM:

" I see nothing in the letter about apologizing for double billing for expenses. I see nothing in the letter about apologizing for resigning in disgrace. I see nothing in the letter about apologizing for pleading no contest to the charges against her. I see nothing in the letter about paying back the money that she illegally received. Typical crooked politician. "

Comments on this story are now closed.



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