Interesting Endorsements

Three of the four School Board candidates that did not make it through the primary have endorsed Di Zou and Allen Dyer for School Board. Here is the text of their statement that they sent me:

We are former Board of Education Candidates. Even though we did not make it through the primary, we are still interested and remain active in Educational issues and in particular this year's very important election for filling 5 of the 7 Board seats.

During the three month primary season, we spoke, discussed, and carefully listened with all the candidates’ positions on the issues at the several candidate forums. However, Allen Dyer and Di Zou stand out as candidates who have demonstrated they will bring to the board an independence that has been sorely missing from the previous school boards.

Allen has a long history of trying to create transparency at the school board meetings to allow maximum public exposure. He will bring accountability to the board. He will listen to the administrators, teachers, students and parents. Allen has stood for content over fluff during the primary forums. He took positions on school issues that had substance to the students and parents of our county.

Di Zou has stood up to the conventional wisdom that tells us youth does not have the experience. He certainly is capable to deal with school issues, and as a 2006 graduate, has the direct knowledge of these current issues. Di will bring to the board the ability to represent individuals who have little input regarding the policies that affect them.

Allen and Di will raise the critical questions, hold individuals accountable, and open up the decision making process. Allen and Di are interested in the Education process and not the political process. They have no plans for furthering their political careers as some current Board members have shown.

It is time for change and it is time for independent minded board members to be elected to the school board. We urge all citizens who voted for us in the primary to target vote Allen Dyer and Di Zou.

Respectfully,
Paul Aliprando, Marcello Bedolla, & Peter Sola

The attendance at the candidates forums have not been great, but these three have had a chance to observe the other candidates up close in a way main voters have not and see how they worked through all of the questions put to them. I think they selected to endorse two candidates that would definitely add unique perspectives to the board and strengthen the results of School Board policy. (Di Zou by informing the discussion of policy with first hand knowledge of what actually goes on in the schools and how policies impact students. Allen Dyer by not accepting conventional wisdom and asking the probing questions that force other board members to think through their positions and make the most well thought out decisions.)

In other endorsement news check out this post by David Keelan. I may write more on this later.