Voting for signs

To the editor:

I’ve been watching signs going up everywhere as the October election nears. Signs are going up for assembly and school board members across the valley. It makes me wonder if voters really know who it is they are voting for and what those people stand for, or if they are just voting for the person with the most signs? Having been to a few assembly and school board meetings over the past couple of years, I have a renewed appreciation for how important it is for voters to know who it is they are voting for. I have found myself disappointed in the behavior of some of the elected officials at these meetings and encourage voters to go sit in on one at some point and just observe.

I am especially interested in the school board election this year. As a parent of children in our school district, I have a vested interest in the decisions that the school board makes. Unfortunately, it seems that many of the people who run for school board positions do so as a jumping off point for their political aspirations and not to be active participants working to do the best possible job for our children. I would love to see the school board be filled with people who actually understand education and working with children. This year we have the opportunity to elect at least one person who fits that need.

Jamey Duhamel is a grass-roots candidate who has worked as a child and family advocate for more than 15 years. She has sat on the Mat-Su School District Program Based Budgeting Committee. She understands the necessity for alternative education services and has advocated for such services. Jamey will not be supported by any big groups and you may not see any large signs out in front of businesses but she is definitely a candidate who should be supported by the people who matter, the voters, the mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas, who are tired of business as usual and want someone who will vote according to their conscience and not according to union pressure or political aspirations.

Dina Atkin

Wasilla