School board chairman’s leaked post on candidates raises ire at meeting
A private Facebook post by Natrona County School District Trustee Chair Kevin Christopherson imploring friends and close contacts to consider his unambiguous recommendations for school board candidates raised ire during public comment at the board’s regular meeting on Monday.
The post endorses the five candidates supported by the Public Education Builds Community Political Action Committee and advises against voting for the four Moms for Liberty candidates. Christopherson referred to the latter group as “the moms for tyranny” and said two of the sitting board members of the same group were “not helpful.”
Christopherson apologized to those two sitting board members during his closing comments.
Jayme Lein, now unopposed for the House District 38 seat after winning in the primary, said she was speaking in her capacity as a parent and concerned citizen when she called for Christopherson to be removed from the position. She cited the board’s code of ethics and its directive to “resist every temptation and outside pressure to use [a] position as a school board member to benefit either [oneself] or any other individual or agency apart from the total interest of the school district.”
Christopherson identified himself as the board chair in the post.
“It’s inappropriate for board members to make disparaging remarks, especially on social media, while identifying as trustees,” said Leslie Hollis. “To clarify, Moms for Liberty focuses on empowering parents to defend their rights at all levels of government.”