Learning the Hard Way

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Colorado Education commissioner William Moloney's decision to step down from the position in June, which is detailed in the Denver Post article linked here, comes as the biggest surprise since the sun rose in the east this morning. Moloney, who was appointed during the Bill Owens administration, has been under near-constant attack from Democrats in the state legislature during the last month or so, and a day before he announced his impending departure, the Rocky Mountain News reported that he'd been left off the guest list when Governor Bill Ritter signed a major education bill. Although Moloney characterized this obvious snub as "an oversight" at the time, his subsequent actions weaken that claim.

Whatever the case, the contentiousness that's been swirling around Moloney of late is nothing new. A 2001 Westword feature took a behind-the-scenes look at the state's Board of Education, which Moloney oversees, and revealed plenty of sniping between Dems and Republicans. After one testy exchange, Moloney attempted to calm the waters by declaring, "Someone once said, 'The world will little note nor long remember what we've resolved here today.'" Unsurprisingly, the tactic didn't work.

To read the rest of the story, click here. -- Michael Roberts