Letter: Support for Democratic BOE Candidates

To the Editor:

Last year I joined the Board of Finance — right in the middle of budget season. Terrible timing. Truly awful. I felt like one of those weathermen they send out to report in the middle of a hurricane.

But I stayed. God help me, I stayed. And I learned something important about this town: it’s filled with great people.

In those early weeks I met everyone — the Chiefs of Police and Fire, Public Works, Phil Cross (who runs school finance and ops and who may or may not have invented Microsoft Excel based on his knowledge of spreadsheets). I talked to Rick and Karl at Town Hall. I got to know so many wonderful people (I had no idea what party they belonged to, nor did I care) who help this Town run.

And I loved it. Capital L. Because behind every expense line and agenda item, I met people — genuinely good, decent people who care about this place. These are not the characters I was promised in the Facebook groups. There was no cigar smoke, no X-Files shadow government. They’re your neighbors. Real people. Real issues with using Zoom.

Which brings me to portfolios.

Nassim Taleb — writer, trader, and man whose books I understand about 65% of the time — said: “Don’t tell me what you think. Tell me what you have in your portfolio.” Spare me the speeches; show me the receipts. That’s how you know what someone believes in.

Deb, Nicole, and Lisa are Democrats running for the Board of Education. They’ll say they believe in strong schools and helping each child succeed. How do we know they actually mean it?

We know they mean it because they’ve shown us their portfolios. Decades of hands-on work in schools, classrooms, government, clubs, and parent organizations; kids who graduated through the schools; kids currently in the schools. Their entire careers have been dedicated to student achievement. Skin. In. The. Game. Spend ten minutes with them and I promise you’ll feel so energized about the future of what these schools can be.

Now ask yourself if the person you are voting for has a similar portfolio. Has the candidate delineated a proactive, positive plan for Weston, or are they simply litigating, both literally and figuratively, old grievances instead?

You cannot write a bestselling novel by complaining about a novel someone else wrote 20 years ago. At some point, you have to sit down and write your own. You have to show me your portfolio. I’m supporting those candidates who intend to do just that. I hope you do as well.

—  Daniel Gershburg

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