Union Funds Shouldn't Go To Board Candidates

SCHO(L Tië$e 'WeMotñ sel performed a service to the school district by challenging monetary contributions by the Ann Arbor Education Association to two school board candidates in I next month's election. ■ Heusel asked how suqh candidates, if elected, can sit in judgI ment on contracts and negotiaI tions with the teachers' union aftI .er accepting gifts from the teachI ers. This is an example of the kind I of political action the district can I do without. A spokeswoman for PAC said I the committee wanted to help canI didates who would support group I aims, but that the committee I would not expect the recipients to I repay the teachers by favorable I decisions as school board memI bers. Well, who is to say, really. Gifts lof $750 to certain candidates are I nothing to be sneezed at. A donaI tion of that large an amount ought I to cover a sizeable chunk of the I candidate's expenses. It would not I automatically make the recipiënt I beholden to the donor, but the I "influence potential" would alI ways be there. f Would it affect the independent I judgment the voters expect when I they elect individuals to the I board? Perhaps not. But as we I say, money does talk and it was I not to expect zero in return that I the PAC opened its pursestrings. I One board candidate, Tanya IsI rael, returned the gift and urged I that it be used to support the millage instead. That seems sensible f" I enough. Another candidate, Williel J. Simpson, returned his gift, I while disclaiming any conflict of I interest situation arising f rom 1 ceptance of the contribution. A number of years ago The News protested piiblic endorsement of certain school candidates by city Republicans. Republicans at the time said the Democrats were doing the same thing but not making it public. The News' argument was that the nonpartisan nature of school elections was worth maintaining, and that when political parties began endorsing 1 dates that was the end of efforts to keep politics out of the schools. The Human Rights Party carne along later, with its candidates clearly labeled as HRP, but in our view that doesn't destroy the value of the concept. An AAEA official said its Political Action Committee funds come f rom a $5 contribution from Michigan Education Association members to a separate organization, the Michigan Political Action Council. About $3.50 of each $5 is returned to local groups for political action. THE Board of Education may always have so-called liberal and conservative bloes in its membership, but that's far different from having some or all of its members reporting back to a political party. Even worse than that would be a group of candidates whose campaign costs came out of the treasury of the teachers' union. Who would represent the taxpayers in that kind of situation?