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Ashland officials named in complaint By Tony Boom ASHLAND � Ashland school district officials violated election laws when they appeared at a press conference for mayoral candidate Alan DeBoer, allege two complaints filed recently with the Secretary of State�s Elections Division. The complaints, filed by Paul Copeland, head of the Campaign for School Tolerance, names school board members Alan DeBoer, Dan Thorndike, Kent Provost and Terry Littleton; Superintendent Juli DiChiro; and Ashland High School Principal Julie Reynolds. The Elections Division plans to send letters of inquiry about the complaints to the named school officials by Friday. Copeland�s first complaint claims the board members prompted administrators to attend DeBoer�s press conference on Oct. 20 for political purposes. The second complaint says that DiChiro and Reynolds inappropriately attended the event during work hours. "We are trying to make the point that the power elite in Ashland can�t roll a railroad over a small organization," said Copeland. He claimed the press conference was designed to promote DeBoer�s candidacy, and questioned whether it was the correct place for district officials to refute information in ads purchased by his organization in the Ashland Daily Tidings. Those ads alleged that DeBoer limited public participation at board meetings and failed to provide leadership on issues of drug use and special education. DeBoer said he called the press conference to address the claims. He had agreed to a campaign-spending limit that prevented him from running his own ads. "It was definitely my press conference," said DeBoer. "The school district (personnel) were clear that they were ... not supporting a candidate, but there to help a school board member under attack with information that wasn�t correct." DeBoer said he did not invite school officials to the conference and was "pleasantly surprised" when board members showed up. Provost said he asked DiChiro to determine if it was appropriate for her and Reynolds to attend the conference. There was no insistence or requirement on his part that they be present. "I thought I should go to clarify issues in the ads," said Littleton, school board chairwoman. "(DiChiro and Reynolds) made clear statements that they weren�t there to promote or challenge any campaigns or efforts." School officials will have several weeks to reply to the inquiry letters, said Scott Tighe, Elections Division operations manager. "We will evaluate (the responses) and may seek advice from the attorney general if there is a potential for violation." The case could take several months to resolve, Tighe said. School officials would have rights of appeal if a violation is found and a civil penalty is assessed. A first-time violation carries a $75 fine. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.