Lawbreaking alleged in superintendent’s race

BOISE – Two Republican candidates in the Idaho public schools superintendent May 23 primary race are trading jabs after one of them accused the other’s campaign director of inappropriate electioneering while working at his state job.

Steve Smylie, currently a state representative from Boise, says Tom Luna’s communications director, Wayne Hoffman, has been working for Luna’s campaign at the same time he’s on the clock as a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Agriculture.

Such campaigning would be forbidden by state law.

Both Luna, a Nampa resident who lost the superintendent race four years ago to Democrat Marilyn Howard, and Hoffman, a former reporter at the Idaho Statesman who went to work for the state last year, said Smylie’s allegations are baseless.

The exchange came after Smylie acknowledged inappropriately using a public school computer – he is also a teacher – and his legislative computer to send campaign-related material. He apologized for the indiscretions, which are also forbidden by Idaho campaign laws.

Hoffman also works on campaigns for four other Republican Party candidates, and Smylie believes at least some of it is occurring on state time.