Former Florida Schools Chief Tony Bennett Facing Indiana Ethics Complaint

Jordan Michael / StateImpact Florida

Former Florida education commissioner Tony Bennett.

Indiana’s Inspector General has filed an ethics complaint against former Florida education commissioner Tony Bennett for using state computers for campaign business in 2010.

The Associated Press reported documents showed Bennett had kept a database of campaign donors on state computers and had asked staff to parse campaign speeches by Democratic opponent Glenda Ritz:

This summer, the Associated Press published documents showing Bennett’s team kept a database of Republican donors on Indiana Department of Education computers.

Bennett, a Republican, served one term as state superintendent before being ousted by current schools chief Glenda Ritz. He resigned his post as Florida Commissioner of Education earlier this year after media reports revealed his team changed the school letter grades of several schools here in Indiana, including a charter founded by a prominent campaign donor.

“Throughout my time in public service I made every effort to be cognizant of and to follow state rules and guidelines for elected officials,” Bennett said in a statement. “I understand no conclusions have been made in this matter and I look forward to working with the Ethics Commission and the Inspector General’s office to demonstrate proper adherence to state rules and guidelines.”

Head on over to our colleagues at StateImpact Indiana to read the full complaint.