The purpose of this letter is to rebut a statement made by letter writer Marie-Anne Harkness in her endorsement of Carrie BeSerra which I read online on July 30. Carrie is running against Danny Peterson and Elizabeth (Liz) Drake for Federal Way School Board position 3 currently held by Amye Bronson-Doherty, who is stepping down when her term expires.
The writer made the following statement: “The choice is between an independent thinker (Carrie) or two educators (Danny and Liz) clearly tied to the way our schools have been run for the past decade.” The writer is inferring that just because these two individuals were educators, if they get elected to the school board, it will be “business as usual.”
Unfortunately, the writer did not familiarize herself with these two individuals because if she had, she would have discovered that nothing is further from the truth. It is true that both were
educators, as Danny was a teacher at Decatur High School, and Liz spent 40 years working as both a teacher and and administrator, most recently as principal at Todd Beamer High School. I spoke to Liz for an hour and a half about various school issues, and if she is elected to the board, it will be anything but “business as usual.” If the writer really knew Elizabeth Drake, she would realize that she too is an “independent thinker.” She is committed 110 percent to making changes to the board that will make it more effective, increase community involvement and student success. These are goals she achieved while serving as Todd Beamer principal and why she is respected by parents and students alike at Todd Beamer, as evidenced by the recent letter written by one of the students, Riley Germanis. A perfect example of a change that she believes is needed is communication. To ensure that communication is effective, it must be a two-way street, not a one-way street (as it currently is). If you read what he wrote in the voter’s pamphlet or you have spoken to him, I believe the same is true for Danny Peterson.
Finally, please remember one thing: a vote for Elizabeth Drake is a vote for change… change for the better.
Gary Robertson, Federal Way
