Sierra Joint Community College District - considered one of Placer County's greatest assets - faces a difficult road ahead: Aging campuses with too few facilities, matched by a growing student population. Lack of funding and community support to improve campuses. A threat to its accreditation status.

Voters on Nov. 4 will select among four candidates for two open seats to help guide Sierra College over the next four years. Here's a look at the candidates for Sierra's board of trustees and their stances on various issues.

Dennis Cota, Area 4

Age: 50

Occupation: Small-business owner, attorney, educator

Quote: "I will work to enhance this educational resource for both continuing and returning students, focusing on (1) meeting student needs (2) responsible fiscal management and (3) an enhanced community partnership, bringing greater resources to the college and greater services to the community. Responsible leadership will be the hallmark of my service as trustee."

Contact: (916) 549-6035, dcota@cotalawfirm.com, www.denniscota.com

Dennis Cota pegs himself as an outsider to the past politics of Sierra College.

As an attorney and former community college student from California's central coast, Cota said he will focus on student and community interests if elected to the board of trustees.

"I have no goal of advancing any political agenda or siding with any political group," Cota said about political factions that have existed on the Sierra College board.

Cota, a Granite Bay resident, owns a small law firm in Roseville. He has taught at various extension programs at the University of California, Riverside and at UC Davis, where he attended law school.

As a trustee of Sierra College, Cota said he would tap into community resources to help make Sierra College more accessible. He supports increasing online and evening courses to serve an influx of working students.

Elaine Rowen, Area 4

Age: 74

Occupation: Retired schools superintendent

Quote: "I will keep community and other stakeholders informed of what the college has to offer them and encourage participation in issue-related discussions to ensure transparency; augment the bridge with the K-12 program to ensure continuity and student success; spend scarce dollars in the most effective way to prepare students for today's jobs and/or a four-year college program; be a strong advocate on behalf of Sierra College as a world-class institution of learning."

Contact: (916) 435-0508, erow200@yahoo.com

Elaine Rowen has worked more than 30 years in education, serving as a teacher, counselor, school psychologist, superintendent and trustee in Southern California. If elected a trustee of Sierra College, she plans to leverage her experience to better prepare students for college and work.

Rowen, a former trustee of the Menifee Union School District in Riverside County, serves on the First Five Placer Families and Children Commission. She is a volunteer for the senior legal hotline in Sacramento.

"I feel very strongly we need to utilize all the input from all the stakeholders to generate the best ideas on how to be financially sustainable," Rowen said.

Aaron Klein, Area 7

Age: 29 Occupation: Incumbent, small-business owner

Quote: "After turning three deficits into four straight balanced budgets, we must continue the agenda for change and keep increasing access to college, especially in these tough economic times."

Contact: (530)323-2607, ak@aaronklein.com, www.aaronklein.com

Aaron Klein says he has been a fiscal conservative who has helped Sierra College balance its budget and shore up reserve funds during his four years as a trustee.

Klein said he helped turn around three consecutive years of budget deficits totaling $850,000.

"There was a very tough leadership change that we went through, and we balanced the budget despite the economic downturn," Klein said about the hiring of a new college president in 2006.

Klein runs a software business from his Colfax home, where he lives with his wife, Cacey, and 1-year-old son. As a product of the community college system, Klein said he will work to make Sierra College more accessible and affordable to students.

Klein said he wants to reform educational programs to better prepare students for jobs, repair and modernize classrooms and labs and work to bring a California State University, Sacramento, campus to Placer County.

John Vodonick, Area 7

Age: 61

Occupation: Small-business owner, attorney, student

Quote: "Politics has no place in the agenda of the board of trustees of Sierra College; only education has a legitimate place at the table. There is no place for creative accounting at Sierra College. The books of the school must be fairly and accurately presented so that the electorate can make an informed choice.

The reason that Sierra College has been placed on a warning list by the accreditation commission needs to be fully explained to the taxpayers, the students and the faculty."

Contact: (916) 606-2908, vodonickfortrustee@ gmail.com, vodonick.com John Vodonick said he didn't plan to seek a place on the Sierra College board, but he was captivated by media reports the past few years about the school's political drama.

Vodonick cites the ousting of a former college president, dwindling reserve funds and crumbling facilities under the leadership of a divided board of trustees.

"I am completely committed to education and not some political agenda," Vodonick said.

Vodonick, a Nevada City attorney with his own law firm, said education has been a beacon for most of his adult life.

Vodonick graduated from Fullerton Community College and California State University, Fullerton, where he received a degree in business administration.

Vodonick graduated cum laude and second in his class from Pepperdine University School of Law.

Vodonick said he is pursuing a master of arts degree and working toward a doctorate in organization systems.

Call The Bee's Lakiesha McGhee at 9916) 773-7630.