"I think he was a good chancellor for the transition that we had," Toy adds, "but none of us hired him."
Mertes declined to be specific about his disagreements with the board but said, "The issue is what is the appropriate role for a board and what is the appropriate role for a chancellor.
"The chancellor's role is to administer the system and work with the board," he said. "This board wanted very much to be involved with the day-to-day administration of the system. I believe we were losing the big picture."
Mertes, whose education career has spanned three decades, also has served as chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District in Sacramento and the Santa Barbara Community College District.
Although he insists his plans are not firm, Mertes says he will remain active in the community college education field, perhaps writing and doing consulting work "on the key issues I think we face."
"I look at this not as retirement," he says, "but as a different direction."
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