Well, I guess I did it. I made a mistake. I went to City High last Friday before the teachers' first scheduled staff meeting and took some Daylight Donuts and a card table. I checked in at the office and set up my table by the north entryway in order to take the opportunity to be present to meet teachers and hear their primary concerns regarding the facility and the upcoming school year. I guess I thought that the only way to actually understand the needs in a facility is to go there and ask the people who work there. Mea culpa.
You see, up until this Monday morning, there was no clearly stated district policy regarding candidates visiting a facility. Most, if not all, of the nine candidates have toured numerous facilities in order to see firsthand what is needed at each location. If the campaign process is a prolonged job interview, then it seems pretty smart to me to actually go out and learn about the job, just in case you end up getting hired.
I know other candidates have toured other facilities with me with the school principals present. There was no indication from our administration that visiting a school was frowned upon. This is entirely evident in that numerous principals were willing to make themselves available for candidates to tour their respective facilities.
I did not file a facility room request at City High because I did not use a room and I was not holding an actual listening post for the public. My public listening posts have been at the Coralville Public Library, the ICPL, the North Liberty Community Center, the Senior Center, and Coach's Corner.
Which brings me to the next thing, Hills. It has been reported that I held a public listening post at Hills on Tuesday, August 13. That is not correct. I visited Hills that evening from 6-7 pm at the invitation of the Coalition for a Greater Hills Community who held their meeting at Hills Elementary that night. I had contacted them to learn more about the community of Hills and hear their concerns. I would assume that since the door was unlocked and they were there, that they had filed a proper facility room request.
It is disheartening to me that my ethics have been called into question by individuals and media outlets over the last two days. I am committed to running a positive campaign focused on the issues. I will not let these insinuations and allegations sway me from my real focus, which is our children and their education. They deserve it.
The statute that the district cited prohibits states and their subdivisions from allowing political use of public resources. The prohibition is on the state, not the candidates. If the rule was broken, it was the district that broke it, not you or any other candidate. (As to whether the district was selectively complying with the statute, I have no way of knowing.)
ReplyDeleteI also know of no statute that would prohibit you from giving out doughnuts. Even if you were a "restricted donor" under the state gift law, which you don't appear to be, there's an exception in the statute for gifts valued at less than three dollars. Daylight Donuts are good, but no doughnut is worth three dollars.
Disclaimer: I mean this as news commentary, not as legal advice or as an endorsement.
I think this is all a distraction from important issues. You may have made a mistake only in violating a yet to be clearly articulated policy. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteBrian, We know that you are a man of highest integrity and would dare not purposely violate a policy. The Iowa City Community School District AND it's students need you. We know that your unswerving dedication to the ICCSD is for the best~
ReplyDelete