I am voting for Brie Stahnke for the 9-R school board because she is the best qualified candidate, and I encourage you to vote for her also. Brie works professionally as an engineer, she is a wife and mother of two small children, and she is committed to serving her community through 9-R and neighborhood association board positions. Brie balances her many responsibilities incredibly well and is clear about her priorities: children and their education, and contributing to the community through her professional and volunteer roles.
I have worked professionally with Brie, and she is highly competent, quickly identifies key issues and speaks her mind. In her engineering position, Brie was recently selected to manage a high-profile project to recommend changes that required the agreement of opposing teams and individuals. Brie did what few people could have done; through her commitment and gift for bringing people together, she was able to gain agreement for the changes from all teams. Brie brings this important skill to the 9-R board.
Brie currently serves on the board, and as it will be reduced from seven to five seats with this election, continuity is important. The board will deal with difficult budget issues; Brie’s professional experience of cost-effective management of high-profile projects is essential. The diversity provided by Brie’s technical background in industry and business is critical.
Shame on The Durango Herald for its slanted reporting of Matthew Sheldon’s failure to file his campaign finance paperwork (Oct. 17). The rules for campaign finance filing are clearly explained in a single-page document. Sheldon managed Michael McLachlan’s political campaign; he is experienced and has no excuse for not following the 9-R campaign filing rules. Is this the behavior we want in a school board member? The Herald painted Brie poorly for stating the facts and made excuses for Sheldon.
Sheldon’s qualifications are being a nice person and good communicator. These phrases describe Brie Stahnke as well as they describe Sheldon. It’s Brie’s background and professional experience that qualify her as the best candidate.
Jane Doty
Durango
