Face the State

In March, Lawmaker was forced to step down after Face the State revealed e-mail where he claimed there was a “special place in hell” for charter school parents
Face the State Staff Report

An e-mail obtained by Face the State this week reveals that state Rep. Mike Merrifield intends to resume the chairmanship of the House Education committee for next state's legislative session beginning in January.

Merrifield, a Manitou Springs Democrat, had served in that position until late March, when Face the State brought to light an e-mail in which he exclaimed, “There must be a special place in Hell for these Privatizers, Charerizers, [sic] and Voucherizers! They deserve it!” The email, intended for Senate Education Chairman Sue Windels, D-Arvada, discussed the duo's plans for legislation that would dramatically alter oversight of public charter schools.

As a result of extensive media coverage and constituent pressure, Merrifield resigned as chair of the committee a day after the e-mail became public. In this newest email dated April 3, sent only four days after resigning the chair, Merrifield writes: “I have not resigned...I will be back chairing the education committee next session.” His e-mail was in response to a message sent by Craig Cox, a former District 11 school board member in Colorado Springs. Cox had recently resigned his seat on the school board following a bruising recall election in 2006, citing barriers to reform. Merrifield said, "[I] Plan to be fighting the good fight long after you are a forgotten footnote."

In the face of growing public support for charter schools, many Democrats were embarrassed by Merrifield's statements. Recently, as Face the State reported, the state's new education chief, Dwight Jones, a Democrat, called on his fellow party members to support school choice, including charter schools.

Perhaps most outspoken, Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver, a strong advocate of school choice, has freely vented about his frustration with fellow Democrat Merrifield, telling the Rocky Mountain News earlier this year that Merrifield's comments reflected a larger agenda to "gut charter schools."

Multiple attempts by Face the State to contact House Speaker Andrew Romanoff over the past week proved unsuccessful. Most recently, according to his staff, he was out of the office Thursday.

According to one Democrat staffer, however, who spoke with Face the State Thursday unofficially, Democrat leadership had heard of no changes to committee leadership assignments in the works and had not yet ratified any final decisions about leadership posts. After Merrifield was forced to step down, Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, assumed the helm of the education committee for the remainder of the 2007 session.

A March 31 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette quotes Speaker Romanoff as saying Merrifield will "regain his post in January." ("Merrifield Leaves Education Chair", No longer web-accessible) An April 29 article in the Gazette again reported Merrifield is "expected to resume his duties as chairman of the House Education Committee in January" but offered no attribution to that claim. Most recently, a September 4 Rocky Mountain News article says Merrifield has been touring schools this summer as chairman.

During his March 30th resignation speech, Merrifield said on the House floor that his positions on school choice have always been “clear and consistent” and that he has “felt this way for many years.” In “stepping down” as chair, he told the Rocky Mountain News "I don’t want my remarks or my health to sidetrack the important work of the House Education Committee,” referring to his battle with throat cancer.