September 07, 2005 08:00 AM UTC

Michael Bennet Planning Next Move Already?

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• by: Colorado Pols

It has not gone unnoticed by leading Republicans, including major donors to the Denver Public Schools Foundation, that new DPS Superintendent Michael Bennett’s appointments seem clearly aimed at a future run for office — perhaps the U.S. Senate.

Bennett has told many City Hall and other political insiders that he aspires to run for the U.S. Senate, perhaps as soon as 2008. Three of his DPS appointments seem designed to help build his political operation in the meantime. Sarah Kendall, former campaign manager for CD-6 candidate Ken Toltz and former deputy chief of staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper, took a job with Bennet; Kendall is a top level political operative but has no relevant educational experience. Happy Haynes has worked with the Denver city council and with the mayor…and also has no background in education. A third appointee seems designed to curry favor with organized labor.

None of this probably matters much, however, because Bennet’s political future will be determined in the classroom. If CSAP scores don’t go up, nothing he does politically will help overcome that.