Letter To The Editor: In Support Of Carl Foss and Adam Senesi

Letter to the editor from Burlington residents Shari and Britt Ellis:

To Our Fellow Burlington Voters,

With the local election season finally upon us, we are now beginning to find the usual campaign literature in our mailboxes. Within one such envelope was a typical letter of endorsement for two contested, town-wide office seats. However, this letter was anything but typical, and in our opinion, crossed a line between good governance and petty politics. The letter that has us so disappointed is one that many of you recently received. It was written by three current School Committee Members, Tom Murphy, Kristin Russo, and Christine Monaco, who together are supporting two co-candidates for School Committee.

Certainly, each voter in town is free to support whomever they choose; and when residents happen to be elected officials of the town, they do not forfeit that right. Nevertheless, when the majority of a governing body collectively campaigns for members, public trust is diminished, self-interest is apparent, and the open deliberation of ideas is not likely to be part of the equation.

As the School Committee Members talk of “our committee” and the value of past knowledge and experience, we would encourage the voters of Burlington to consider the future. In order to move forward and to provide guidance for our school community, we must also listen to those who offer ideas and experiences that might differ from our own. To that end, there are two other candidates campaigning for the two open School Committee seats. Adam Senesi and Carl Foss each have their own experiences and knowledge base worthy of consideration. Moreover, because they are not hand-picked as part of “our committee," that alone may be as good a reason as any to anticipate that their ideas and experiences would be part of a positive change to the School Committee.

It is time for change. Please vote either by absentee ballot, or on June 6 th at BHS.

Shari and Britt Ellis
3 Hickory Lane

This letter was produced by Burlington residents Shari and Britt Ellis. The views expressed are the authors' own.