As most Colorado news junkies know by now, 9 of the state's 10 appointed public trustees resigned this week and another “retired” following a Denver Post investigation into their offices' spending habits. While the Hickenlooper administration is frantically trying to distance themselves from the trustees he appointed, one thing they can't whitewash is the trustees' financial support of Hick during his campaign two years ago.

Perhaps liberal front-groups Common Cause and Colorado Ethics Watch could have addressed the trustees' contributions to the Governor instead of offering half-assed excuses in the Post article.  Among the trustees, eight donated directly to Hickenlooper:

Carol Snyder (Adams) $190 to Hick
Ana Marie Peters-Ruddick (Arapahoe) $900 to Hick
George Kennedy (Douglas) $175 to Hick
Thomas Mowle (El Paso) max $1050 to Hick
Margaret Chapman (Jeffco) max $1050 to Hick
Deborah Morgan (Larimar) $975 to Hick
Paul Brown (Mesa) $900 to Hick
Susie Velasquez (Weld) $125 to Hick

The other two trustees, Richard Gebhardt (Boulder) and Nick Gradisar (Pueblo), didn't donate to Hick, but have a history of donating to Democrats. While no one is suggesting Hickenlooper has stooped to Chicago-land “pay-for-play” politics, he wouldn't be the first prominent Democrat to reward campaign donors with cushy government jobs either.

The only question left is whether it will be a prerequisite for the trustees' replacements to also have donated to Hickenlooper's coffers.