Log in

Opinion

Courter: QCUSD candidates violate campaign law

Posted

I am writing to inform you of a campaign-law violation committed by the three incumbents, Jennifer Revolt, Patty Campbell, and Matt Riffey, who are running for reelection to the Queen-Creek-Unified-School-District school board.

The "Guidelines - Use of School District or Charter School Resources to Influence the Outcome of Elections" document from the Arizona Attorney General's Office states (https://www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/publications/2018-06/2004_School_Guidelines_re_Elections.pdf):

"No campaign signs, banners, stickers or any item that advocates for or against a candidate, recall, initiative, referendum, bond election, budget override or any ballot measure shall be placed in or on school district or charter school buildings (including but not limited to playing fields, parking lots, walls and fencing)."

(T)he aforementioned QCUSD school board candidates (placed) items that advocate for their candidacy in the parking lot at a recent Queen-Creek High-School football game.

My hope is that, as journalists, you're equally or more concerned about this violation of campaign law as you and/or some of your counterparts were about the statements made by QCUSD board member, James Knox, on his personal social-media accounts. These people are responsible for leading the children of our district - if they can't follow the law, are they the right people for the job?

Jason Courter is a resident of Queen Creek.