East Lyme Children Put First By Benedict

 

 

Democratic members of the East Lyme School Board should be ashamed. They have unfairly attacked Lydia Benedict, a concerned East Lyme parent running for the Board of Education.

 Although my children attend public school in Old Lyme, I am angered. It is hard to believe that these board members would oppose Ms. Benedict's right to run.

 

 East Lyme Board member Mary Broderick went so far as to say, “The Board of Education had no credibility problem until a few people in town decided to make one.” Isn't this the essence of the democratic process at work? Ms. Benedict saw a need for change and took a proper venue to institute these changes. The Board of Education has a credibility problem when it tries to pressure the Democratic Party into stopping a legitimate candidate from running for a position in the town in which she lives and pays taxes.

 There is also a credibility problem when current board members claim they have no idea what Lydia Benedict stands for. All one needs to do is read to appreciate her informative and articulate letters and essays written on educational issues. Ms. Benedict stands for the children of East Lyme and how best to serve them through the school system. Lydia Benedict, like any good parent, knows that she is her children's best advocate and, given her desire to serve others, she would extend that advocacy to the rest of the East Lyme children.

 

I know where Ms. Benedict stands on educational issues and there is no excuse for those more closely involved in the process to claim ignorance. It sounds to me like “politics as usual.” This is a shame, considering who is at stake — the children of East Lyme.