Letters: County in good hands with treasurer; Myers puts community first

Editor’s note: The CDT welcomes letters endorsing candidates in the Nov. 7 election and will accept letters that are received by Oct. 30. Letters are subject to editing, must be based on facts and should avoid attacks on other candidates.

County in good hands with treasurer

I write with enthusiastic support for the reelection of Colleen Kennedy as Centre County Treasurer in this year’s local elections. I have known and admired Colleen for many years. She is honest, forthright and forward-looking. Her qualifications as an accountant have served her admirably in her current term as treasurer. Thanks to her able stewardship of the people’s money, the county is in excellent shape financially. Our county could not be in better hands. Thank you Colleen for your service!

Janet Irons, State College

Myers puts community first

Evan Myers is a candidate for the State College Borough Council in the coming general election. His history of service for the Borough is extensive. He has served on the Planning Commission, and chaired it for several years. Later, he ran for Council.

During Evan’s time in office the Borough has had many difficult situations, as well as great creative plans. Evan was always objective, and not aligned to any particular group. This is extremely important, especially now.

Recently State College was designated as one of the safest towns in Pennsylvania. We need elected officials who will continue to support the safety of our community. Many of our residents do not live in the Borough, but very close. We also depend on the Borough for great cooperation. I have seen this close relationship with Evan an elected councilman.

Finally, it is important to vote and to choose candidates who can put the community interest before their own. Evan clearly will do this for all of us. We must all work together. Please vote for Evan Myers.

Dolores Taricani, College Township

Research school board candidates carefully

Election season is here and we need to turn our attention to those we elect for school board. School boards adopt and revise districtwide policies, follow state and federal laws and oversee resources for their district. When school boards adopt or revise policies, they share it with the public and offer citizens the opportunity to weigh in. School board meetings are open and afford anyone the opportunity to voice an opinion.

The upcoming election of five school board directors is very important. The composition of each of the nine-member school boards in Pennsylvania will have an impact on the culture of the school and what resources our children have.

Recently a small group of individuals launched an attack to restrict and ban books from libraries. They selected lewd and vulgar books to read aloud at school board meetings. They want to restrict what our children read and to reduce access to certain historical texts K-12.

We have highly trained teachers and librarians in our schools who are qualified to choose appropriate books for K-12. In addition a parent can request their child not read a specific book. We do not need to remove books from our educational system.

We urge you to be an informed voter. Review the free resources, voters guide from the Centre Daily Times or Centre County Gazette. Watch the C-NET interviews for school board candidates on Oct. 26, or view the recording online via CNET1.org or the League of Women Voters (LWVCC) website.

Susan Johnston, State College. The author is the chair of AAUW State College’s education committee.

10-year sentence for PSU football?

Another Ohio State loss. James Franklin’s 2021 contract extension through 2031 now looks like a 10-year sentence for PSU football? Clearly, he’s not going to be the coach who puts PSU in consistent contention for BIG10 crowns.

We Are! Mediocre!

John McDowell, Livermore, California

What do Republicans stand for?

Republicans have the reputation for whining. It is the party of the aggrieved. They don’t solve problems; they moan about them. The Republican Party opposes many things: gun control, abortion, climate control efforts, affirmative action, diversity programs, mandatory vaccinations, mandatory medical masks, transgender rights, gay marriage, sex education, most books in schools, illegal (and sometimes legal) immigration, voting rights for all Americans, military aid to Ukraine, and taxes for the wealthy or businesses. It is tougher to identify what Republicans stand for than it is to identify what they oppose. Witness the Republican party legislative agenda in the House of Representatives: there isn’t one. Witness how Republicans pick the leader of the House of Representatives: they have trouble with that because nobody in their party stands for anything. It appears that Republicans feel the world would be better if things reverted to the Middle Ages. However, if you pay close attention to Republican leaders such as Donald Trump, you will notice that they reserve their favorable remarks for dictatorial leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un. Republicans like Trump have shown they place no faith in democracy or the U.S. Constitution as illustrated by the Jan. 6, 2020 insurrection. Yet many Americans still vote Republican and support Donald Trump, the twice impeached former President who has been charged with 91 felonies in four different jurisdictions. What do we call people who side with America’s enemies, both foreign and domestic?

William Rothwell, State College