Lincoln County Democrats endorse in non-partisan board races because they matter

To the editor:

When the Lincoln County Democrats recently announced the endorsement of three candidates for the Lincoln County School District board — Mike Rawles (District 3), Peter Vince (District 4) and Sentinila McKinley (District 5) — in the May 18 special election, some asked why we would take positions in this non-partisan election.

The short answer is that local elections truly matter. Local positions –especially positions such as the school board — have deep impacts on our daily lives. The decisions made by school boards affect virtually every important aspect of local schools, from boundaries to bus schedules, curriculum to clubs, funding to field trips. Our school board members will oversee budgets, enact policy, establish clear and measurable expectations, engage the public, and chart a future course as we enter a critical post-pandemic period re-opening and recover from the tumult of the past year.

For that reason, we have felt compelled to carefully vet the candidates in these elections and to choose those that align with our core values. While we often focus on high-profile elections, elections for our school boards often face low turnout and uncontested candidates.

The pandemic has proven that leadership at every level of education matters, whether it’s in the White House or on your local school board. And though this leadership plays a more prominent role during tumultuous times, it’s also vital in the everyday, regular work of educating Lincoln County’s children.

All three of our endorsed candidates have serious credentials as educators, all three have demonstrated a thorough understanding of the issues that face Lincoln County’s public education system today, and all three share progressive ideas and a strong belief in inclusivity.

I urge you to vote for school board candidates Mike Rawles, Senitila McKinley and Peter Vince in the May 18 election. You can find more detailed information on the candidates we’ve endorsed on our website.

— Michael Gaskill, chair, Lincoln County Democratic Central Committee