I’ve had the opportunity to hear the school board candidates speak three times at three different venues.

Sarah Fishering is a great candidate and conservative. I appreciate that she brings a new perspective because she was raised in the United Kingdom. Sarah and her husband are entrepreneurs in Montrose and stay with their family whose children are enrolled in MCSD.

Eric Kelley is a conservative business owner who has been on the Western Slope his whole life except when he served his country for six years in the United States Army. Eric and his wife have two children, one who has gone off to college after graduating MCSD and another who attends Montrose High School.

Alice Murphy brings a wealth of knowledge to the board because she was a teacher right here in Montrose County for 35 years.

These candidates all showed a fundamental understanding of the complexities of running a school district. Most importantly, every one of them spoke about what is best for children.

The “slate” was completely different. Their platform is based on the false premises of Critical Race Theory, Comprehensive Sex Education, and masking. These don’t happen. The third pillar of their platform is opposition to mask mandates. We do not have a mask mandate. Why is this a campaign platform?

The “slate” has a radical agenda that has yet to come forward. They are running on a platform that is not true, and they know it is not true, yet they still run on it. This strategy appears to be a desperate reach from tea-party radicals to win an election.

Furthermore, the “slates” campaign slogans are nothing more than shallow cliches. “Give Power Back to the Parents,” when was it taken away? I see parents every day in our schools volunteering in the classroom, attending PTO meetings, giving feedback to our teachers, and, on occasion, at a school board meeting. The “slate” never stepped for in a school board meeting until they decided to run for the position. Where have they been? Did they not want the power before now?

We need different people from different walks of life to make a well-rounded school board. Electing three candidates who have been radicalized at the Cowboy Church and who have identical ideas is not helpful and not diverse.

Vote for Eric Kelley, Jeff Bachman, Steve Bush, Alice Murphy and Sarah Fishering because having the most yard signs does not qualify you.

Edward Lewis, Montrose