BURKEonBOARD

(Election Day 2008) – Bet you thought it would never get here. All the ads and emails, and ads and phone calls, and ads and yard signs. Did I mention all those ads.

But, finally, we get to vote. So after putting up with all that stuff, we get to decide where we want to take our country, our state, our county, our city and our school district.

I decided to run because I want to take our school district in a different direction.

I think our school leaders have made some bad decisions about spending our tax dollars and haven’t done enough to make sure our school do a good job teaching our kids.

I don’t think that anyone running our schools, elected or appointed, is a bad person. I believe they all want what’s best for us and our kids. But wanting and delivering are two different things. If wishing made things true, then Farmington would be more like Lake Wobegon where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”

Good intentions don’t make things happen. That’s why this election is so important for us in the Farmington school district.

We need to transform our school district from a place of good intentions to a place of good results.

That means we need new people on our school board, three new people, willing to give how we do things a fresh look, willing to ask questions, challenge the status quo and to trust all the citizens in the school district with as much information and as much government done in public as we can stand.

I’d appreciate your vote today. And if you give me your vote, I’d appreciate your vote for two other new thinkers on our school board.

Running for school board these past few months has been a privilege. No matter how it turns out, I’m grateful for all your kind words of encouragement, your support, your willingness to place a sign in your front yard and your generous contributions.

If we win today, we get to start putting our ideas into to practice. If we don’t, we still stay engaged, because it is our duty and our responsibility as citizens.

Thank you.
Tim