ACDC School Board Endorsement Election: Tell Your Friends!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

(Arlington County Democratic Committee)

Report from the Chairman

Peter Rousselot

We are moving into the final phase of an exciting election race for the Democratic endorsement for Arlington School Board!

We are very fortunate to have six great candidates who are seeking the Democratic endorsement for two openings on the School Board this year. This extraordinary level of interest is a fitting reflection of the dynamism of Arlington Democrats and the vital importance of the Arlington School Board. The candidates seeking the Democratic endorsement have done their homework, and they all have learned the lesson from recent election cycles: the Democratic endorsement is the key to victory in November.

Arlington voters know that the Democratic Party has a long national history of support for public education and a long local history of helping to elect strong, thoughtful members to our School Board. Our endorsement of a School Board candidate is a pledge of the quality of that candidate—a public statement that the candidate will uphold Democratic principles related to Arlington education and schools. Our endorsement provides helpful information as a service to many voters, and ensures that our party is a living, growing entity involved in civic discourse on one of the most important topics of modern life: public education.

Through our endorsement process, we make a decision to stand together as a party in support of our endorsed candidates. Our endorsement thus promotes our unity and success as a party, the election of our endorsed candidates and the enactment of our values by our elected officials.

We remain fully committed to deciding who should receive the Democratic endorsement by democratic means—a well-advertised public caucus—rather than by a hand-picked, private selection by party insiders. The candidates with the most votes win the party endorsement. In this way, we guarantee all Democrats the right to participate in an open process to determine who their candidates will be.

As we enter the final phase of this School Board election campaign, I urge you to reach out to your fellow Democrats and alert them to the opportunity to attend the ACDC School Board Candidate Forum at 7:30 PM on April 15 at the NRECA building. (See further details elsewhere in this issue of the Voice.) Please make a special effort to tell at least five Democrats whom you know about this forum—a great chance to hear all six candidates speak and answer questions about the critical issues facing public education in Arlington. And, while you are having these conversations, be sure you also tell your Democratic friends to mark their calendars to vote in our ACDC Caucus on May 1 or May 3. (Again, see the relevant details on locations and times elsewhere in this issue and on our website at www.arlingtondemocrats.org )

PETER ROUSSELOT