Supports Sykes, Cheezem

To the editor:

Jim Sykes, Mat-Su Borough Assembly District 1, and David Cheezem, Mat-Su Borough School Board Seat F, are the outstanding candidates on Mat-Su’s Oct. 1 ballot. They have no hidden agenda or schemes to line their own (or others’) pockets.

You know them because they have been a part of civic life here in the Valley for many years. Sykes spent many years in both Anchorage and Talkeetna, and now resides in Palmer. He homesteaded in the community of Chase near Talkeetna, and helped to found the Chase Community Council. His professional experience includes several radio stations (most recently Palmer’s own KVRF) and executive director of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group.

Cheezem, a retired teacher, owns Fireside Books and currently serves on the school board.

He believes that we “have to figure out how to keep the lessons in our classrooms fresh and inspired — even as new state requirements tend to push teachers to narrow their focus on the tests, rather than on preparing students to think clearly and creatively in a changing world.”

If you don’t know them, you can check them out on their Facebook pages. Take advantage of this opportunity. Vote for Sykes for assembly and Cheezem for school board on Oct. 1.

Judith Meidinger

Wasilla