May 17, 2011 01:50 AM UTC

More on Education from Chris Romer

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• by: Colorado Pols

Mayoral candidate Chris Romer has been using education policy as a vehicle for his campaign since the campaign’s start. He’s touted his education credentials in previous campaign ads and snagged an endorsement from noted education activist and former State Treasurer Cary Kennedy.

He’s still playing that education candidate card. From a press release we received today from both the American Federation of Teachers and Chris Romer’s campaign:

AFT Colorado Endorses Chris Romer

Today, AFT Colorado is proud to announce that we are endorsing Chris Romer for Mayor of Denver. With Chris’s background in education and his dedication to the working families of Denver, we believe that he is the best choice.

“Chris Romer has spent his life working to make a quality education available to all students,” said Bernie Jiron, President of the Denver Federation of Paraprofessionals and Nutrition Service Workers. “Chris is also the only candidate who is willing to stand up for our workers.”

“Chris’s commitment to education goes back more than two decades, and he will bring

that same commitment to education going forward,” said Brenda Smith, President of AFT Colorado. “Starting with the I Have a Dream Foundation, the New America School, and Amendment 23 Chris has devoted his personal and professional career to supporting our children and giving them the resources they need to get ahead.”

Please remember to mail in your ballots for Chris Romer for Mayor in the runoff election on June 7th.

It’s certainly no NEA or CEA endorsement, but the AFT has reasonable membership and may get some of its members out in full force for Chris Romer. Then again, we think this endorsement can also do more harm than good. In the school reform debate raging in DPS and other districts around the state and country, being aligned with a so-called “teachers union” may carry more negative connotations than positive. Still, if Romer is confident enough to blast this out to his entire list, he’s obviously not too worried about his candidacy entering into the school reform fray.