The Jefferson County school board has given member Vince Chowdhury until July 25 to respond to its request for his resignation.
Chowdhury pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, for slapping and allegedly choking his 16-year-old daughter.
The arrest affidavit states Chowdhury became angry after he arrived home on June 17 and his wife and daughter did not quickly open the garage door when he honked his horn.
Although his wife and daughter apologized, Chowdhury said he thought his daughter was being disrespectful and slapped her face. The daughter said she backed away but that Chowdhury began choking her. She told police she bit his hand in self-defense before her mother tried to pull Chowdhury off her.
Chowdhury told deputies he “just lost it.”
He did not respond to several requests for comment.
After he received a one-year suspended jail sentence earlier this week, Chowdhury apologized, saying, “I should have used better judgment.”
He said at the time that he hadn’t decided about his school-board term or candidacy for House District 22.
Board members, not including Dave Thomas who abstained from voting because he had represented Chowdhury in court, said they were saddened by the request but felt it was “in the best interest of the district and its students.”
Chowdhury has served on the school board for seven years. His term expires in November 2009.
Colorado Ethics Watch, a nonprofit watchdog group, also is calling for Chowdhury’s resignation.
“By his actions, Mr. Chowdhury has not only violated the trust of his family, but also the Jefferson County students and their families who he was elected to serve,” Ethics Watch director Chantell Taylor said in a statement.
“Coloradans should expect more from their public officials, particularly those who act on behalf of children,” Taylor said.
Bob Sampron, who nominated Chowdhury at the Jefferson County Democratic Party assembly in March as a candidate for House District 22, has withdrawn his endorsement.
Citing “recent events,” Sampron said he was supporting Chowdhury’s Aug. 12 primary opponent, Camille Ryckman.
A roster of 18 state Democratic leaders endorsed Ryckman the day that Chowdhury entered his guilty plea.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
