Aurora Public Schools Board member Eric Nelson politely refused on Saturday to withdraw from a Democratic primary race even as Democrats increased pressure on the candidate to “admit to himself that the charade is over.”

Following a conversation with Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio on Friday, Nelson said he would consider a request that he bring an end to his campaign in the face of reports he has fabricated advanced degrees, pretended to be a retired military officer and concealed a lengthy criminal background, Palacio told The Colorado Statesman.

Eventually, after some prodding from Palacio, Nelson sent a text message just after 6 a.m. the next day with his response: “Sorry I missed your call. However Mr. Palicio (sic), I respectfully decline your request to withdraw from the House District 42, 2016 Primary election for State Rep.”

It’s the same position Nelson took in a lengthy message he sent to supporters and posted to social media Wednesday.

“Political attacks will not distract nor will I be dismayed from championing the issues that my community has locally elected me to do and will do if elected to the state level,” he wrote. “As a man of faith, quitting is simply not allowed.”

While Palacio awaited word of Nelson’s latest decision, leading Democrats circulated an online petition urging him to drop out.

“Aurora deserves better,” reads a Change.org petition created late Friday by ProgressNow Colorado organizer Ian Belter.

Eric Durane Nelson, 37, is one of two candidates – the other is Dominique “Nikki” Jackson – running in the June 28 Democratic primary in House District 42. The heavily Democratic seat in north Aurora is currently represented by term-limited state Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, who is seeking a Senate seat in her own primary. Nelson was elected to the school board in 2013 and serves as the board’s secretary.

In response to an investigation and a series of exclusive reports by The Statesman, the House Majority Project, the campaign group that works to elect Democratic House members, on Tuesday called on Nelson to withdraw from the primary race and endorsed Jackson. Fields and House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, swiftly echoed the demand, and the president and vice president of the school board told Nelson the APS board plans to review allegations against him.

Voters received mail ballots nearly two weeks ago and have just over a week remaining to return them.

State Rep. Alec Garnett, D-Denver, who heads the House Majority Project, told The Statesman on Friday that the campaign organization would do what it takes to make sure Nelson doesn’t win the primary. He added that additional revelations about Nelson’s fabrications have only hardened his resolve.

“I think your reporting in this case holds up, and I would renew my call for Mr. Nelson to withdraw from the house district race and to step down from the Aurora school board,” Garnett said.

“Eric Nelson was once deemed ‘not competent, trustworthy, of good moral character,'” the online Change.org petition reads, citing a state Division of Insurance ruling first reported by The Colorado Statesman. “That is still the case. He is an abuser, an imposter, a liar, and a fraud. We are asking that he resign from the Aurora Public Schools board and to withdraw from House District 42 race.”

Arapahoe County Democrat Mike Hamrick, one of three Democratic National Committee members elected in April at the state assembly, was one of the first to sign the petition. Within hours, state Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, and former state Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, had signed it and were sharing it with contacts on social media.

“As a social worker and an elected official, it is offensive that anyone would falsify their degree in social work and then run for public office,” Singer wrote on Facebook, linking to the petition. “I hope commons sense prevails and Mr. Nelson withdraws.”

Over the years, Nelson has claimed he’s earned numerous graduate degrees, including MBAs from more than one university and a master’s in social work from a university in Idaho that says they’ve never heard of him. (After The Statesman’s first report on the questions surrounding Nelson’s background, he sent the newspaper photographs of two diplomas that turned out to be crude forgeries.)

As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the petition had 32 signatures.

Middleton, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, represented the House District 42 seat and served on the State Board of Education before that.

“I believe that people who choose to serve in elected office must uphold a high standard, as they are both influential and in a position to impact others, particularly young people,” she told The Statesman Saturday in an email. “You do not need to be perfect. Past transgressions can be forgiven if they are disclosed – if you own up to your past, learn something, say you will not do it again.”

But she contended that Nelson’s case is another matter entirely.

“Hiding your past, fabricating credentials, and getting caught is different,” Middleton said. “Eric Nelson was caught and the public know the truth now. That means it is time to go. Eric must step down from his current office and end his candidacy. He needs to look in the mirror and admit to himself that the charade is over.”

Nelson posted a passage to one of his numerous Facebook pages – this one devoted to “Inspirations & Motivations” – on Friday, although readers might be puzzled by his real-world reactions to the controversies surrounding him.

“Always be humble enough to admit mistakes,” Nelson wrote. “Apologize and own up to whatever happened. By taking responsibility, you are building your self-esteem. Others respect you even more. Hiding from mistakes or denying them will inevitably come back later on to bite you. What have you experienced?”

Nelson didn’t respond to a request for comment from The Statesman for this story.

Van Schoales, CEO of education reform organization A+ Colorado, called the scandal a “ridiculous situation” and said the longer Nelson waits to quit the school board, the more damage he’ll do.

“It’s outrageous on a variety of fronts,” Schoales told The Statesman. “It’s problematic to have a school board member who appears to have made up diplomas and military service. It raises some larger issues about who runs for school board and what sorts of vetting processes there are for school board. Obviously, the school board is in charge of the school district, and it’s a significant entity.”

With nearly 40,000 students enrolled in 61 schools, APS has a $370 million budget for the 2016-2017 school year.

Schoales said the fact that Nelson got elected and has sat on the APS board for nearly three years without anyone seriously questioning his background points to a problem with school boards in general.

“Up until he ran for school board, I don’t think he’d had any experience or interest in what was going on in Aurora Public Schools or any school district,” he said. “That’s not that different from a lot of folks who use school board seats as stepping stones to other political offices. And that’s a problem – they’re going to govern at the school board to do what’s best for them politically rather than do what’s best for kids.”

While the school board can vote to censure Nelson, that might be the extent of it, Schoales noted.

“It seems clear at this point he lied about a number of his qualifications. That is grounds for him to resign. That would be the honorable thing to do,” he said. “It may be true that the board’s hands are tied. Community leaders in Aurora need to call for his resignation.”

“But it’s a distraction,” Schoales added. “APS is under the gun from the state – it has the highest number of low-performing schools in Colorado. This board can’t afford to have this kind of controversy going on. It’s critical they move beyond this distraction.”

– ernest@coloradostatesman.com