Letter To The Editor: Resident Endorses Mark Friedman For Westfield Board Of Education

Submitted by Cliff Zucker

The People of Westfield,

I am not a social media person, nor do I write recommendations unless I feel a strong conviction for the candidate.

I am writing this recommendation on behalf of Mark Friedman incumbent candidate for the Westfield School Board. As a resident of Westfield for thirty years and having brought up my children in the Westfield public school system I have seen the good and the bad that effects every organization. I have known Mark for most of those thirty years in Westfield and maybe more than anyone have asked him why he wants to put himself through the long hours, stress and abuse of being a Board of Education member for another term. The answer is always the same with Mark saying; I love Westfield, my children received good educations, I want to give back to the community and there is work to be done to further the educational needs of the children of Westfield.

Mark entrusted his children’s education to past School Board members while he was active raising his children, coaching baseball, soccer and basketball and building his business knowledge and skills. As a result of that Mark brings an acute business perspective to the School Board which is refreshing. Using his skills in accounting, finance, sales and marketing he is a great asset for the School Board in many areas including finance, long term planning and technology. These issues are significant when you are dealing with a fixed pot of money to allocate that is continuously being outpaced by rising costs, wants and needs. These skill sets along with being an incumbent candidate (having already served three plus years) will serve the residents of Westfield well. Mark is past the learning curve, he understands the system, the issues, the players and the political landscape which is necessary for the success of the Board in implementing the necessary initiatives for the benefit of the current and future children of the residents of Westfield. This equates to collaboration which is a great skill and necessary to work in this environment and build consensus, yet if push comes to shove Mark is not afraid to go against the majority as he has shown on past issues. Please vote for Mark Friedman on November 4th and let him continue to serve our community, make our school system better and help your children. Thank you,

Cliff Zucker