Huppenthal’s baggage

by David Safier
The Ed Supe race is getting crowded. The Dem side has two candidates so far, Penny Kotterman (you can read a BfA interview with her) and Jason Williams. Republicans have a whole slew of hopefuls: Margaret Dugan, deputy state superintendent; State Sen. John Huppenthal; Mary Lou Taylor, Tempe Union High School District board president; and the most recent addition, Gary Nine, superintendent of the Florence Unified School District. It's tough to handicap either primary race, or the general — far too early. But it's never too early to make educated guesses or start getting info out about the candidates.

A big factor is how visible the run for Ed Supe will be this time around. It's usually one of those "Who cares?" races that get very little attention. This year could be different, and if it is, lesser known candidates will have a better chance to get themselves known. My bet is, more visibility will help a Democrat's chances in the general.

Huppenthal is the highest profile Republican, which should make him the odds on favorite. But Horne is supporting Dugan, his deputy state supe. The other two? No telling what we'll see from them.

Huppenthal carries a bit of baggage with him, so much, in fact, that he might be over the weight limit for most airlines, or for this race.

One piece of luggage is his June 24 trial.

I've heard the guy has a few anger management issues. That's not a character trait you hope to see in Arizona's über teacher.

The reason Huppenthal took the sign (he admits taking it, but denies there was a struggle) is because he said it contained a lie about another piece of luggage he's carrying around. The sign claimed Huppenthal didn't push for state funding to fix an asbestos, mold and ventilation problem at Corona del Sol High School, a school in his district. The reports I've read on the subject are pretty he said/she said. The claim seems to be that he was pushing for a state loan for the school but not a grant.

Whatever the truth on the Corona del Sol story, my understanding is that it's perfectly fine for a political sign to make a controversial statement about a candidate, especially when "the truth" is open to debate. A candidate pulling it out because he doesn't like what it says? We're definitely talking anger management issues here.

The third piece of luggage, which some would call a carry-on bag, others an albatross, is Huppenthal's very vocal advocacy for school choice, meaning vouchers and charter schools. That issue will probably help him in the primary, but it could work against him if he makes it to the general — not the charter schools part, the vouchers. If the Democratic candidate can hang the word "vouchers" around his neck, that could mean trouble for Huppenthal. He won't have time to gather up the "Huppenthal is for vouchers" fliers going to people's homes or pull out all the yard signs hammered in across the state.

Note: There's a good post on the topic on Mike McClellan's azcentral.com blog. (The guy's been a high school English teacher for 34 years — a man after my own heart.) The comment section has a rich discussion about charter schools, including comments by Huppenthal.