Letter to the Editor:
I am writing this letter to wholeheartedly endorse Donna Smith for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. Her experience, intelligence and commitment are an asset to our school board.
I have known Donna Smith for approximately six years. I have not ever met a harder working or more caring person than Donna. In every situation, whether her personal or professional life, in the work she has done on behalf of the schools, her community or her church, the question she asks is “ What can I do to make things better?” And then she jumps in and does just that. She has done it for years while her sons were growing, with her work with the PTA and Presidents Council and she is doing that now in her role as a Board of Education member.
In her time on the Board, Donna has worked on several committees including Finance and Facilities, Policy and Monitoring and Outreach and Communication. She is currently the Chair of the Labor and Personnel committee and has served on the negotiating committee for the last round of negotiations with SOMEA.
Donna’s experience both on the Board and off, make her invaluable in dealing with the challenges that lie ahead and the work that has barely begun on our district’s strategic plan. While her breadth of experience is laudable, to my mind it is a personal characteristic that is the most valuable to our district. When faced with a controversial issue with strong and differing opinions, Donna neither backs down nor squares for a fight; instead she listens. Her ability to really listen to all sides, a commodity sometimes in short supply on the board, is to my mind the most important reason to vote for Donna Smith for South Orange-Maplewood BOE this November .
Sincerely,
Morrisa da Silva
Maplewood
