Story Archive

Shopping for Voters II

Three candidates for Colorado State Senate have been issued “cease and desist” letters from lawyers for the Jefferson County Public Schools after putting a school logo in their respective campaign flyers, which “has created confusion among the public with respect to the District’s role in your campaign,” the letters say. In addition, all three flyers use the same Denver Post photo of students protesting proposed changes to their Advanced Placement history curriculum to “promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights,” which was proposed by three new school board members, all Republicans [This is True #1059, 28 September]. The photo was altered to change the slogans on the students’ signs. The Post also sent “cease and desist” letters demanding the candidates stop using their copyrighted photo. Tim Neville, Tony Sanchez, and Laura Woods, all Republicans, have agreed to stop using the logo and photo. Their flyers also lie to voters, the Post notes. Neville’s, for instance, states the school protests are “because Denver politicians like Jeanne Nicholson are keeping funding from the classrooms while giving more power to corrupt union bosses.” Sanchez’s flyer uses the exact same language, but about “Denver politician Andy Kerr.” Nicholson and Kerr serve districts other than Denver or Jefferson Counties, and neither were involved in the proposed school curriculum changes. (RC/Denver Post) ...And neither Neville nor Sanchez remembers the basic school rule against copying from others.