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Letter to the editor:
I have lived in Whitewater for more than twenty years. I raised my wonderful daughter here, and we have both thrived in this community. I can remember times when I was stuck in traffic getting back from a meeting out of town and late picking up my little girl from basketball or soccer. I could tick off in my head five or six other parents, teachers or coaches who would not let her wait alone. The kindness of the people she grew up among is reflected in who she has become. She’s finishing her teaching degree now and is already paying the kindness she experienced forward.
My daughter’s father is a recent immigrant, and I was always proud of the efforts of teachers and community members to embrace her and her dad. It was my impression that many children benefited from the open-heartedness and acceptance of this community. By the time my daughter graduated from high school, the group of kids sitting around the firepit in our backyard and featured in her many photographs represented a wide diversity of identities and backgrounds. I was proud of them, too, all of their talents and ideas, their respect and love for each other.
It is important to me as a mother and long-time Whitewater resident that we preserve and lean into the best impulses of our community. It is for this reason that I write today in support of three candidates for school board that I know represent the best part of who we are: Joe Kromholz raised his son here and has demonstrated his absolute commitment to the schools and to the well-being of all children and families of Whitewater. His intelligence and legal expertise would be invaluable on the school board. Nobody has been more committed to our schools than Thayer Coburn, who has served with thoughtfulness and compassion on the school board for twelve years. We need his expertise and his understanding of Whitewater’s strengths and traditions. Lisa Huempfner has both expertise in education and the needs of Whitewater’s Latino community. She is bilingual and has worked hard as an advocate for local families and children.
When I arrived in Whitewater more than twenty years ago, with a beautiful toddler in tow, I found a town that was much more diverse than I expected and one that supported its children in their diversity. I worry that ideologies based on fear and supported by misinformation are undermining what is best about our town. I know that Kromholz, Coburn and Huempfner bring the commitment, compassion and objectivity to make the best decisions in support of all of our children, their teachers and their schools. Please vote for them in the coming school board election.
Lauren Smith
Whitewater
File photo.
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