To the Editor:

This letter is in support of Kathy Fetchick, who is running for election to the Board of Education.

Unlike Kathy’s other town resident supporters I have a somewhat unique perspective in that not only have I had interaction over the years through the town and our children’s various activities, but I also worked with Kathy for several years where she was one of our engineering managers.

We all know that our town’s education system is faced with some difficult decisions everyday — whether it is overcrowding of the classrooms, capital expenditures for improvements or upkeep to the current facilities, bus schedules, etc. Dealing with these problems is certainly not an easy task and frankly is one that requires compromise between all parties involved to work to common ground and find solutions that help continue to improve upon our educational system without allowing the budget to spiral out of control. Meeting these issues head on is where I believe Kathy will excel.

It is my experience that Kathy is a person who takes the needed time to step back and learn how things work and gain an understanding of the “big picture” rather than getting caught up in the details which can cause issues to take on a life of their own or decisions to be made from a purely emotional perspective. She is comfortable challenging the status quo and does not simply accept the easy decisions unless they are the right ones. When confronted with a difficult problem Kathy also looks for creative solutions that is the result of what most would term as “out of the box” thinking.

I believe we need someone like Kathy to add these types of skill sets to the Board of Education and continue to move the educational system forward in support of our children and town.

Regards,

Chris Stenz

5 Grace Moore Road, Sandy Hook                 October 31, 2007