INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A former top education official's role in the sale of $1.7 million of equipment to Indiana is raising new questions about the strength of the state's ethics laws.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press through public records requests show that state Rep. Todd Huston worked closely with the state Department of Education and contractor Cisco from 2008-2012. Huston was involved in the $1.7 million sale of videoconferencing equipment from Cisco to DOE but says he made no money on the transaction.
A spokesman for Democratic Schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz filed an ethics complaint in July alleging the sale violated state contracting rules.
A series of high-profile investigations has exposed loopholes in Indiana's ethics laws this year. Ethics watchdogs say the cases erode the public's trust in government.
