La Cueva soccer coach in trouble over political fliers
Posted at: 09/18/2012 7:38 AM
| Updated at: 09/18/2012 8:14 AM
By: Joe Vigil, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Some parents think their kids were used as political pawns in a controversy now swirling over La Cueva Soccer coach Kevin Driggs and a State Senate candidate in Albuquerque.
Parents tell KOB Eyewitness News 4 that their kids participated in what they say was a "mandatory" community service project.
The project included passing out campaign fliers from State Senate District 21 candidate Lisa Curtis.
APS says nearly 50 varsity and junior varsity players walked around and handed out the fliers on Sunday.
Senator Curtis tells KOB she asked coach Driggs if he wanted to do a fundraiser.
"I said I would pay $500 if I could have the kids do a lit (literature) drop for a couple hours on Sunday," said Senator Curtis. She tells KOB that Driggs was her daughter's soccer club coach and she's known him for 5 or 6 years.
Curtis says she was only trying to help kids and doesn't think she did anything wrong.
"I'm really disappointed that people are so jaded or negative," Curtis said. APS officials say Coach Driggs could now be punished for getting involved in political advertising with the students.
"It's not acceptable. It was wrong. We apologize for it. It should never have happened," said Brad Winter with APS.
He says punishment for Driggs could range from a letter of reprimand to termination.
However,APS officials told us they didn't think Driggs would be fired.
A political opponent of Senator Curtis lashed out at her Monday, saying parents were upset that kids were knocking on doors of people they didn't know, saying it could have been dangerous.
Senate seat candidate Mark Moores questioned the Senator's integrity saying, "Lisa Curtis should never have put a coach in that position. She shouldn't put kids in that position. I think she abused her power. She took advantage of a coach who just cares about coaching kids and winning soccer games."
Coach Driggs did not return repeated calls for comment.
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