Campaign season a good time to correct technical oversights
Campaign season is a good time for politicians to correct little "technical oversight[s]" that they've been (knowingly or unknowingly) fibbing about for years.
And so, the Chronicle's Lori Rodriquez reports on a little "technical oversight" that Councilmember Carol Alvarado's opponent brought to light this week:
In voter's guide information submitted to the Chronicle when she first ran for City Council in 2001, 2003 and this year, Alvarado says she attended UH from 1987 to 1992 and received her degree. Her City Council Web site and campaign literature also list the degree.
Alvarado's District I opponent, lawyer John Parras, said Friday he began looking into Alvarado's educational credentials after an anonymous tipster left a message on his campaign office phone that she had not graduated.
"As a lawyer, I decided to investigate and share the information with my campaign supporters. I personally went to UH to get written verification," said Parras. "I was shocked when I learned that it was true."
The UH verification documents, dated Thursday, say that Alvarado attended the college of social sciences from 1987 through 1992. "The student intends to pursue a degree, however has not yet formally declared a major and degree objective," the document states, adding it reflected Alvarado's academic record as of Thursday.
[snip]
After Parras obtained and publicized the verification documents, Alvarado said, she called the university and learned that she had completed her course work, but hadn't fulfilled a "written proficiency exam."
"I was never notified by university officials that I needed this," she said.
The requirement has since been dropped, Alvarado said.
She moved to Washington, D.C., soon after completing her course work, and did not request a diploma, she said. "I'd like to clear this up," she said. "This has no bearing on the job I've done over the years."
Didn't Councilmember Alvarado think it odd that she never received a diploma? And aren't most college students concerned about getting that piece of paper?
Even if Councilmember Alvarado did not deliberately mislead, her inattention to the details of actually graduating is a little surprising.
But is it really this troubling?
Parras called for Alvarado to resign the seat she has held since 2002.
"She's betrayed the public trust, and I believe she should do the only honorable thing, which is withdraw from the race and resign her seat," he said.
Generally, that is the sort of rhetoric one hears from a desperate candidate with no other issues and no good chance of winning.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/23/05 10:02 PM | Houston Politics | Print | Comments (2)
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