Letters to the Editor: Questions to ask yourself before voting

To the Editor:

As a sitting board member, each year people ask me who I’m voting for to serve on the Hammonton Board of Education. I usually don’t share beyond close friends and family because I believe voting is a personal choice based on one’s views, circumstances and knowledge of the candidates. When I first ran for election in 2017, a sitting board member wrote a letter to the editor supporting her two personal choices for the board. This person indirectly referred to my co-campaign with Erica Polito as “fake news.” Ironic to say the least, but a valuable learning experience, indeed!

Instead of telling you who I’m voting for, I’d like to pose the following questions to ask yourself before casting your vote:

1. Does the candidate have the best interests of all children of Hammonton as their top priority? Or do they only care about their own or a select few?

2. Does the candidate hold the educators, coaches, staff and employees of Hammonton schools in high regard and treat them with respect? Or do they just want to be in a position to control them?

3. Is this candidate loyal to all Hammontonians? Or do they only answer to a certain political group?

4. Who will this candidate support for board president and vice-president? Ask them! Board leadership matters and you deserve that answer as a voter.

5. Is the candidate an intelligent, strong, free-thinking individual who will vote for a board president because of their upstanding reputation and exceptional leadership qualities? Or will they vote for someone to conform and fall in line because it makes their life easier?

6. Would I feel comfortable approaching this candidate in confidence with a personal issue involving the school to be steered in the right direction? Or would they have my personal business all over town?

7. Do I trust this person to do their own homework and make thoughtful, well-informed decisions that affect our children? Or will they just vote a certain way because someone of influence told them to?

8. What does this candidate have to gain by being on the board? Only acceptable answer: Nothing, besides the satisfaction of making a positive difference through serving their community.

There are 3 open positions. You can vote for 3. You can vote for 2. You can vote for 1. You can write someone in. You, the voters of Hammonton, have the power. And that most certainly is not fake news.

Kelli Fallon

Hammonton