Schaffer chided for school vote

Group complains campaign donor's ties not revealed

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 9, 2007 at midnight

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A liberal group renewed its attack on state Board of Education member Bob Schaffer, saying his call for disclosing political contributions went by the wayside when he cast a vote favoring one of his campaign donors.

Michael Huttner, director of ProgessNowAction, called Schaffer "a complete hypocrite when it comes to corruption."

But Schaffer and Republicans fired back Wednesday, with GOP state party chairman Dick Wadhams calling Huttner a "sleazeball."

And to think the election, in which Schaffer is running for U.S. Senate, is more than a year away.

Schaffer, a Fort Collins Republican, cast the deciding vote in May requiring the Denver Public Schools board to reconsider a decision to terminate a charter school.

Schaffer voted without disclosing that the owner of the company managing the school contributed to his 2004 failed U.S. Senate campaign. Huttner maintains Schaffer had a conflict of interest and should have abstained from voting.

In addition, the charter-school company owner and his wife this summer donated $4,600 to Schaffer's 2008 Senate campaign.

Schaffer, a charter-school advocate, said it's no surprise he's receiving support from like-minded individuals. He said he's done nothing wrong, and he noted that the DPS board earlier this year gave the charter school a year to improve.

Huttner denounced Schaffer on Wednesday during a news conference outside the Department of Education, where the board was meeting.

"We demand that Schaffer stop lecturing his fellow board memembers about corruption, return the money he took and sign a conflict-of-interest pledge," Huttner said.

During a December board meeting, Schaffer was critical of what he called "scam" grant programs that the legislature passes and the state board then must implement. He said some programs appeared tailored so that only a specific group is eligible to apply.

"You contribute to a state senator and you say, 'Please carry my bill to set up a grant program,' and they set up a grant program and then the donor ends up applying for the grant," said Schaffer, a former state senator.

According to a transcript of the meeting, Schaffer recommended that when applicants apply to the state board for the grant, they should be required to provide information about political contributions made by officers of their company or board of directors.

"I'm just suggesting that we ask one question: Who do (they) give their cash to at election time?" Schaffer said.

Another board member pointed out that information already is available to the public.

Wadhams took another jab at Huttner.

"SleazeNow, otherwise known as ProgressNow, does not disclose the donors who finance its existence," he said.

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5327

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