Two TUSD Governing Board members who are running for re-election have decided to return $5,000 contributions made to their campaigns last month.
Donations of $5,000 each were made to Cam Juarez and Kristel Foster by a Phoenix couple β one half of whom is an executive for a business that holds a multi-million dollar contract with the Tucson Unified School District.
The contributions from Carly and Rob Brooks on Aug. 14 accounted for more than half of the donations Juarez and Foster have received over the course of their campaigns.
Rob Brooks is the vice president of marketing for Educational Services, Inc., a firm that the Tucson Unified School District contracts substitute teachers from at a cost of more than $20 million a year.
About a month before the contributions were made, Foster and Juarez along with TUSD Board President Adelita Grijalva approved the ESI contract for this school year. Michael Hicks voted against the contract as did Mark Stegeman, who is also up for re-election but did not receive a contribution from the Brooks family.
The donations, documented in Juarezβ and Fosterβs campaign finance reports, raised red flags for community members and candidates running against the two incumbents, including Betts Putnam-Hidalgo, a TUSD parent and governing board member hopeful.
βI think that this does not pass the smell test,β Putnam-Hidalgo said. βIt certainly appears this is a pay for play. We donβt know that, we donβt know whether they are being rewarded for their vote β¦ we donβt know whether theyβre being rewarded for upcoming behavior. In any case, this is outrageous. We teach our kids that honesty pays and yet that doesnβt seem to be what we are showing our kids with this incident.β
An attorney representing Rob and Carly Brooks denied that the contributions are βpay to play,β adding the pair has not made contributions before or while a contract was under consideration.
While it is unclear why the couple took an interest in a school board race in a different county, they explained, through their attorney, that they sought to help grow the campaigns of candidates they respect, just as βmillions of other Americansβ have done.
βWe will continue to be involved in the political process and back strong leaders who believe that Arizonaβs children deserve the highest quality education,β Rob and Carly Brooks said through their attorney.
Foster announced Tuesday β weeks after receiving the contribution β that she would be returning the money, saying she was not aware of the the coupleβs connection to ESI.
βNow that this issue has been brought to my attention, I am returning this individualβs donation,β she said. βIt is the right thing to do β¦ Openness, transparency and honesty are values that I hold dear.β
Juarez echoed that sentiment Wednesday saying he wasnβt aware of the link but now that he is, he will also return the money.
βI maintain I did nothing wrong and the contribution was a legal contribution, the issue is my moral compass ... Iβm more concerned with the appearance of impropriety,β Juarez said.
By law, individuals can contribute up to $6,250 to local candidatesβ campaigns. Those donations can be used to cover the cost of running for office, including printing campaign materials and signs, buying advertisements, hosting events and more.
Corporations are prohibited from making contributions to local candidates, like those who run for school boards.
