The snow is gone; the yard signs are appearing en masse. It's that time of year: spring elections.Two years ago, the community spoke loudly and clearly regarding the need for change on the school board. The message they sent was to oust long-tenured school board member Mary Ellen Havel-Lang from the catbird seat.
Last year, there were 3 incumbents running for 3 seats. Then community resident John Welke mounted an admirable write-in campaign that fell just short of the mark. What should be taken away from that, however is that Welke received nearly 800 votes and his name wasn't even on the ballot!
This year we again have 3 seats available and the 3 incumbents all want their seats back. The difference is that Welke is back in the race. But this time his name appears on the ballot. He won't have to rely on a wing and a prayer that people will remember to actually write his name onto the ballot. He's also got a year more under his feet. Detractors, grasping at straws to find a weakness in Welke, like to call him a "one issue guy". Sure, Welke spoke out against the boundary fiasco 2 years ago. But he's not talking boundaries, now. He's talking about community engagement, dealing with growing socioeconomic inequity in our schools, and about being good stewards of our tax dollars. He's actually prepared more situation reports for the school board than virtually every sitting board member. And he's not afraid to tackle the tough issues. What's not to like?
If you're like most in the community, dear readers, then you believe that what our school district needs most to effectively move forward is change on its governing body - the school board. As they say, "Change Happens". For change to happen, the school board needs to go to tribal council; and one of its members must be voted out.
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