I am looking forward to voting on Town Meeting Day for my replacement on the Addison Central School District board, Ellen Whelan-Wuest of Cornwall, and my longtime colleague on the board, Suzanne Buck of Bridport.

I was thrilled when Ellen stepped forward to replace me on the board, both in the appointment to fill the vacancy and to run for the election in March. Ellen Whelan-Wuest is just what the board needs — a young parent, an active citizen, and a thoughtful policy maker. Her experience on the ACSD community council, her efforts to bring more childcare to the Middlebury area and her work on behalf of a number of nonprofits in Addison County give Ellen great insight into the needs of our community.

More importantly, Ellen is open-minded and respectful to all points of view. Ellen may come to different conclusions than I would on the board, but I will always feel confident that she will have done so with the best interest of our school district and the children it serves at the core. That is how she operates.

Ellen is one of three candidates running from Cornwall. I urge everyone in the seven towns to elect Ellen to keep serving our district.

I am equally thankful that Suzanne Buck of Bridport is stepping up to another three years on the board. Suzanne’s dedication to our school district seems to know no bounds. Suzanne served as a Bridport school board member and has been on the ACSD board since its inception, and currently is vice chair.

Suzanne hasn’t stopped there. She is one of the ACSD board’s delegates to the Hannaford Career Center, and serves as the chair of that board. The vital link Suzanne provides between ACSD and PHCC helps keep both programs strong for our students.

Suzanne’s long history of community involvement, especially in the education of our kids, makes her an easy choice in the election of a Bridport member of the ACSD board.

I urge everyone to learn about and support these two fine candidates.

Peter Conlon

Cornwall