Cuesta Trustee Peter Sysak was censured for toxic FB posts. He doesn’t deserve your vote

Two years ago, this headline appeared on a Tribune editorial: “A Cuesta College trustee is unfit for office. Recall him now or vote him out in 2022.”

Peter Sysak — who was censured for “offensive, disrespectful, demeaning” social media posts — was not recalled, and now he’s running for reelection.

South County voters can and should take this opportunity to deny Sysak another term in an office he is unfit to hold.

They should vote for his opponent, Adrienne Garcia-Specht, to represent District 4, which includes Nipomo, Oceano and Arroyo Grande.

Frankly, we would endorse just about anyone who challenged Sysak, but in Garcia-Specht, voters have an extremely capable candidate who will be an asset to the board.

She grew up on the Central Coast and graduated from Arroyo Grande High School. She has a master’s degree in English and taught writing at Cuesta College and Hancock College. For the past seven years, she’s been a financial aid counselor at Cal Poly, which gives her a firsthand perspective of the challenges students face.

Garcia-Specht will fight to make Cuesta College classes more accessible to South County residents — something that’s been on the college’s list of concerns for years.

And unlike Sysak, she is a strong supporter of students of color and LGBTQ+ students.

Here’s a memory refresher on Sysak’s twisted views and values, as revealed in toxic Facebook posts: They promoted rape culture, referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as thugs, suggested gay people are immoral, degraded women in positions of power and showed contempt for the Muslim faith.

An ad hoc committee convened to review the posts found them to be “offensive, disrespectful, demeaning ridicule” and found they “promote negative stereotypes of people of color, Black Americans, Latinx, immigrants, as well as members of certain faiths, the LGBTQ community, women, and others.”

The Board of Trustees, as well as several members of San Luis Obispo County’s Cuesta College community, called on Sysak to resign. He refused, insisting he was the one being bullied.

Never did he express remorse, admit to being insensitive or give any indication that he would at least consider what he was being told.

He did delete the posts, and these days, he is being more circumspect, at least in some of his more public communications.

Here’s how he answered a Tribune question about whether Cuesta College should change its policies to better support LGBTQ+ students, students of color and/or other marginalized groups.

“The board of trustees passed by resolution support for the chancellor’s call for action to address diversity, equity and inclusion,” he wrote. “It is unlawful to discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.”

Nothing offensive about that, but could there be a colder, more impersonal response?

Sysak has locked down his Facebook page — several posts can only be viewed by approved friends — but some public posts show him slipping back into his awful old ways.

In August, he shared an Idahoans for Liberty post that features the likeness of a rugged cowboy with this message: “I will not be addressing you by your ‘chosen pronouns.’ If you look like a man, it’s “Sir.” If you look like a women (sic), it’s ‘Ma’am.” It’s not my job to validate your mental illness.”

We could give more examples, but you get the gist.

Peter Sysak is a disgrace to his office, but does he stand a chance at the polls?

Sysak seems to think so. He told New Times that he doesn’t believe the controversy over his Facebook posts will hurt him in the 2022 election.

Sadly, he could be correct.

There have been so many outrages over the last couple of years — including racist and homophobic attacks, both verbal and physical — it’s hard to recall them all.

But this outrage cannot be forgotten; Peter Sysak does not deserve a pass.

The Tribune strongly endorses Adrienne Garcia-Specht for the Cuesta College Board of Trustees.