Who’s Gov. John Hickenlooper endorsing in the Denver School Board elections?
No one. Hickenlooper made that clear several times Monday — all while repeatedly praising three candidates.
Of District 1 candidate Anne Rowe, he said, “She’s remarkable. I could not imagine a better public servant to have on the school board.”
Of District 5 candidate Jennifer Draper Carson, the governor said, “She was just really organizing parents up in northwest Denver and was a real activist for reform.”
And Hickenlooper described at-large candidate Happy Haynes, who worked in his administration while he was mayor of Denver, as “one of the smartest, most committed people I’ve ever worked with.”
The Democratic governor said Denver has the most rapidly improving school district in the state.
“After decades of decay and neglect, it’s finally turning the corner,” Hickenlooper said of the district. “And I think, however you may quibble, (Superintendent) Tom Boasberg has done a great job.”
Hickenlooper’s acclaim of the three candidates puts him squarely in the camp of supporters of ongoing reforms in the district that have met with resistance at times from teachers and some community members.
But again, the Democratic governor reiterated he couldn’t endorse anyone. Though, he noted at one point during his comments, “I’m digging myself into a hole, aren’t I?”
Tim Hoover, The Denver Post
