Letter to the Editor: Supporting David Deitemyer and Patrick Kerrigan for District 113A School Board

Lemont Patch is accepting letters to the editor, which will be posted on the site as received.

The following letter was submitted to Patch by resident Mary Pollard in support of District 113A school board candidates David Deitemyer and Patrick Kerrigan.

We encourage all political candidates and their supporters to share your views in a letter to the editor. We will post any letters we receive, so long as they are roughly 300 words and adhere to Patch's Terms of Use.

If you're interesting in submitting a letter, e-mail Lemont Patch Editor Amanda Luevano at amanda@patch.com .

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Putting my neighbor’s kids first on election day  

Have you ever stopped a neighbor’s child from racing into the street? Patched up a scraped knee? Kept an eye while they crossed the street? We all watch out for our neighbors' kids and their physical safety, but we don’t always think about their mental well being. On April 9, we all have a chance to do just that by selecting 113A board candidates that have the best interest of our own kids – and our neighbor’s kids – in mind.

My kids are almost out of 113A, so you may wonder why I care who gets elected. After all, it’s too late to make changes to benefit my kids. But I do care. I care because of my neighbors’ kids. I’m looking out for their best interest. I want Paddy and Sam and Julius and all their buddies to have someone on the board who understands what they need, and will advocate for their educational development, in addition to being responsible with my tax dollars. I’m looking out for my neighbors’ kids, like I always do.

That’s why my first choice for the 113A Board is David Deitemyer. He’s a lifelong educator and a current dean at Morraine Valley Community College. He knows what kids need. Better yet, his kids went through the district and he knows our town. His intimate knowledge of how schools run and how kids learn are a knowledge set that is lacking on our board. And we need it – so we know how best to allocate our precious resources and spend our scarce tax dollars.

So although my kids are almost out of 113A, I’m putting my neighbor’s kids first. I’m voting first for David Deitemyer, then for the other candidate he recently allied with, Patrick Kerrigan, whose accounting experience I think can be an asset to the board. My third vote is still undecided, but I’ll cherry pick from the 3-candidate slate to select the one person I think shares my values and will truly put my neighbor’s kids first.  

Putting kids first – it’s a wonderful statement, but actions speak louder than words. I think Deitemyer and Kerrigan will walk the talk, and I’m casting my ballot for them on Tuesday.

Mary Pollard

Lemont resident/District 113A parent

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