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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

VanderSloot launches pro-school-reform TV ads showing Romney criticizing teachers union

Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― Eastern Idaho businessman Frank VanderSloot is employing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to criticize unions and promote Tom Luna's education overhaul at the ballot box on Nov. 6. VanderSloot, an overhaul supporter, is paying for TV commercials showing Romney criticizing the teachers union. The National Education Association gave nearly $1.1 million to the campaign against Luna's education changes, which include limiting union bargaining power and requiring online classes. The VanderSloot-backed campaign commercial uses Romney, who is popular in Idaho, to suggest unions oppose the overhaul because it erodes their power. In the 30-second commercial, video footage from Romney taken from C-SPAN shows him describing the union as an organization that's lost its way by opposing changes to the nation's education system. VanderSloot owns Melaleuca, a direct-marketing home health products company.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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