Hidden in Plain Sight

Look to your left. Look to your right. There is approaching a 50 percent chance that one of the people that you see is a registered Democrat. There is a common misconception in Delaware County that there are few Democrats, and that the ruling Republicans have better credentials to hold public office.

This is simply not true.  

Registration of Democrats in Delaware County is 43.4 percent, versus 45.6 percent for Republicans. Independents plus "others" make up the remaining 11 percent of voters. (Pennsylvania Department of State Voter Registration Statistics as of October 24, 2011) 

There are, however, no Democrats on the. There has not been a Democrat on the Rose Tree Media School Board in recent memory.  This year, Jim Coyne, John Nee, and I are Democrats running for Rose Tree Media School Board Director. We are all long-time residents of the Rose Tree Media (RTM) School District and have children or grandchildren who are currently attending RTM schools. We also have a wide range of education and work experience which will provide a solid basis for working in this position.

Jim Coyne is married, with two children attending . He has resided in for eight years. He has a B.A. degree in journalism and communications from Point Park University and an M.S. degree in telecommunications and film from Syracuse University. Jim has had a 30-year career in corporate communications and community relations. He has also been active in the schools, serving on the RTM Superintendent’s Advisory Board since 2009.

John Nee is married, with two adult children and three grandchildren currently in the RTM schools. He has lived in for 23 years. He has a B.A. degree in history from Ohio Northern University. He has had a 40-year career in human resources, working as a labor relations expert, including labor-management partnership development. John also works as a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate for abused and neglected children) volunteer and serves on the Board of Trustees of Ohio Northern University.

I, Janet Lis, am married, with two children currently attending and who also attended RTM elementary and middle schools. I have lived in Upper Providence Township for 18 years. I have a B.A. degree in psychology from Bucknell University and B.S.N. and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University. I worked as a registered nurse for nine years and, since graduation from law school 23 years ago, I have worked as an attorney. I have served on many committees of the various parent-teacher groups at the RTM schools that my children have attended. I have also served on Delaware County Bar Association committees and on several local nonprofit boards, including the boards of Rose Tree Soccer Club, Suburban Seahawks Club, Dunwoody Allied Services, Inc., and Horizons Unlimited Geriatric Education Corporation.

Our goal is to provide new faces and ideas to the existing school board. We would like to use our respective backgrounds in communications, labor negotiations, and law, along with what we have learned as parents or grandparents of RTM students, to work to maintain the quality of the school district, balancing educational excellence, and fiscal responsibility. Our preferred methods for achieving positive solutions for the school district are openness, accountability, and collaboration.  We see this as an opportunity to work together to ensure that the children in our community are well-equipped to compete and prosper in the future, maintaining the vitality of our community.

Please vote on Nov. 8.

Janet M. Lis

RTM School Board Candidate