Letter to the Editor: Vote For Selcer

To the Editor:

We need Yvonne Selcer in St. Paul. 

I first met Yvonne when she ran for school board in 2003. Selcer was so impressive, when asked to join her to advocate for our children at the legislature, I said yes without hesitation. I was immediately impressed by her ability to advocate for sensible solutions that crossed partisan boundaries.
At my first advocacy meeting, I learned about Selcer’s backing of the Hopkins pay for performance program, which became the model for GOP Representative Barb Sykora’s and DFL Senator Steve Kelley’s Q Comp. 

Later, I witnessed Yvonne bring legislators, business leaders, and school finance directors together to create a program that could convert the incomprehensible state-mandated school reporting codes to a business-friendly financial statement, which was adopted with bi-partisan support in 2006.
And, I was the parent co-chair of the Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition in 2005 when auditors found an accounting error that pushed the district into the red. 

As the newest board member, Selcer could have easily made the case that she bore little blame for the problem. Instead, she took over the reigns as treasurer and chair and steered the district to strong financial health earning state and national awards for excellence in fiscal management and reporting in the process.

On Nov. 6, I urge you to vote for Yvonne Selcer to represent Minnetonka and Eden Prairie and safeguard our tradition of strong educational leaders in St. Paul.

Ellen Dustman, Former Hopkins School Board Vice Chair
Minnetonka