Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Newspapers Periodicals

Selectman Sarah Neuman Is an Organizer With Long Experience Leading Groups in Town

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To the editor:

Sarah Neuman is a skilled organizer, effective communicator, and selfless advocate for others. Her candidacy for the Board of Selectmen meets the needs of our town. We met Sarah almost 20 years ago and have been continually impressed with her caring and dedication towards others that has extended to the town of Darien. Our families bonded through our children and have remained very close over the prior two decades. Through her volunteer work, Sarah delivers a positive experience for the people and businesses of Darien.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Swords WWII

Stacey Tie and Julie Best: Tireless Leadership, a Firm Grasp of Education Issues

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To the Editor:
As we have seen over the past 18 months, public service in support of our schools can be a challenging and thankless endeavor. That’s why I am so thankful that Stacey Tie and Julie Best are willing to step forward and serve our students as members of the Darien Board of Education at such a pivotal time. Our students would be so fortunate to have Stacey and Julie as advocates at the table on their behalf. For years, Stacey has been my “go-to” when navigating school issues — particularly as my son’s special education journey began. She has an uncanny way of getting to the heart of any matter with reasoned logic and an impressive level of patience for details.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Thomas Jefferson

Candidates Julie Best and Stacey Tie Have Dedicated Their Time to Darien Schools for Years

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To the editor:

It is with great enthusiasm that I write a letter of support for Julie Best and Stacey Tie for Darien’s Board of Education in 2021. Julie Best and Stacey Tie have each spent years working in a wide range of capacities within the Darien PTO organizations as well as town government to improve our schools and our community. As a current parent of students in the Darien district, I am grateful for their ever-present support, experience and dedication, helping our students, parents and schools navigate a year and a half of unforeseen challenges. In addition to their work on our various school TPO organizations, Stacey Tie has served on the RTM and its Finance and Budget committee since 2016 and offers experience in all aspects and challenges of our district’s budgets while Julie Best has served in numerous PTO organizations in Darien, with her most recent leadership role as the co-chair of the Council of Darien School Parents, the umbrella organization for all Darien PTOs. I feel their dedication, energy and creative thinking will offer our community the passion, leadership and partnership we are looking for at this time.

Education
Letter to the Editor Horse brown

Stacey Tie Has Integrity, a Strong Urge to Help Darien Educate Its Kids and Is Familiar With the Budget

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To the editor:

I write in support of Stacey Tie’s candidacy for a seat on the Board of Education. Stacey has so many qualities that will make her an ideal BOE member. Topping the list: integrity. Stacey’s decisions will be principled and rooted, above all else, in what’s best for our children. Stacey brings to bear a unique array of relevant experience that will guide her service on the BOE.

Board of Selectmen Election 2021
Letter to the Editor Washington 1932

Former Selectman Susan Marks: GOP Slate for Board of Selectmen Has Wide Experience, Knowledge

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To the editor:

First Selectman candidate Monica McNally, and Board of Selectmen candidates Jon Zagrodzky and Marcy Minnick are the team that will continue lead Darien to be a town people want to move to, raise a family, shop, dine, open a business and retire in. Monica, currently on the Board of Selectmen, has been giving back to the town for over 25 years. As a community advocate, she was a founding member of OPUS and president of the YWCA Women‘s Club. Elected to the RTM eight years ago, she quickly rose to the leadership roles of vice-chair of the Rules Committee and chaired the Public Works Committee. Importantly, Monica has a solid foundation in finance, having worked as a financial consultant for Smith Barney.

Board of Education Election 2021
Letter to the Editor Pilgrim

Ignore the National Culture Wars, Stacey Tie and Julie Best Have a Pragmatic Focus on Darien’s Needs

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To the editor:

We’ve all sought out new activities during the pandemic as we’ve all had so much more free time at home. For me, I spent more time paying attention to our local government. Zoom enabled viewing town council and school board meetings with an ease that didn’t exist before. Mostly, I was interested in how the pandemic was affecting Darien, and especially how town officials were managing and planning school activities. I’m not a particularly political person, and when we moved to town a decade ago I was impressed by the moderate pragmatism that defined both the Democratic and Republican politicians in town.

Board of Education Election 2021
Letter to the Editor Train

On the Board of Education, Julie Best and Stacey Tie Will Ask the Hard Questions

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To the editor:

On Nov. 2, we, the Darien community, have the opportunity to elect two experienced and passionate Board of Education candidates, Julie Best and Stacey Tie. I am able to share a unique perspective as I have worked closely and served on the Tokeneke Elementary PTO Board as well as the Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP) Executive Board with both of these dynamic women. From our years of working together, I can tell you firsthand they are natural leaders who have the drive and dedication to be instrumental members of the Board of Education. Julie has held numerous volunteer positions such as Tokeneke PTO co-chair, Tokeneke Pumpkin Carnival co-chair and most recently as the co-chair of the CDSP.

Board of Education Election 2021
Letter to the Editor Farming

Former Selectman Barbara Thorne: Board of Ed Candidates Best and Tié Have Deep Experience Helping Schools

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To the editor:

DPS IS BACK!!! This represents a total community collaboration and two candidates  — Julie Best and Stacey Tié — have demonstrated how to accomplish this. Years of volunteering have resulted in strong connections to the community beyond boundaries of school and the Representative Town Meeting. Their actions and words create a positive platform for exchange of information and ideas. Beyond special interests and single issues they encompass the entire education system with a goal to build even better.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Washington brown

First Selectman Candidate Monica McNally Listens, Builds Consensus, Has a Talent for Organizing Groups

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To the editor:
For over 20 years, I have known Monica McNally as a natural leader, extremely capable of organizing groups of people to achieve good things. From the days our children attended Tokeneke School kindergarten together, and our co-leadership of a pack of Cub Scouts, to watching her for years working with the Darien RTM, she has always brought people together for large, and small, causes. Her way of consensus building, and listening to the voices of others, has proved to be a perfect way for her to be a considerate but strong force, and will be the best way to lead Darien forward. Monica will listen to you, to all of us. She will always act in the best interests of Darien and its residents.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor coin USA 2 CENTS

Board of Ed Candidate Julie Best Is Smart, Sensible, Fair and Has Put in the Work

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To the editor:

I encourage all my fellow Darienites to support Julie Best for the Board of Education. I have known Julie for over a decade and have seen first-hand her dedication to our town, its families and schools. Since 2009, Julie has served our town in many capacities. She has traveled to Hartford more than once to advocate for our schools and students. Most recently, she served for three years as co-chair of the Council of Darien School Parents.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Theodore Roosevelt

Our Soldiers in Afghanistan Deserved Better

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Editor’s note: This letter was submitted early Friday afternoon. The Biden speech referred to here took place before that. To the editor:

The deaths of our soldiers deserve better than the pre-written speech that Joe Biden fumbled through — the “moment of silence” where his postured piety was as phony as anything I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of phonies in our government. Biden is not alone. Kamala is also a disgrace — going to campaign for Governor Newsom instead of looking into ways to help the Afghan people — Nancy Pelosi chuckling it up at her fundraiser (ostensibly for “women’s equality”) when Afghani women and children are being raped and slaughtered and relegated to the fifth century!

Darien Elections 2021
Letter to the Editor Horse brown

Two Candidates for Board of Ed: Calming, Wise, Thoughtful and Fair

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To the editor:

I have had the privilege and the pleasure to work closely with two of the Board of Education candidates over the past 10 years. First, as part of the Tokeneke PTO, where Julie Best served in various leadership roles instrumental in improving the parent community, including co-chair, vice-chair, and Pumpkin Carnival co-chair. I met Stacey Tie when she served as Tokeneke PTO’s special education chair, and I had a child receiving services for the first time. She was a calming influence, and someone I could go to with questions I wasn’t comfortable asking the administration. I was not alone in that, and know dozens of parents who have benefited from Stacey’s wise council over the years.

Darien Elections 2021
Letter to the Editor Train

Julie Best and Stacey Tie Have Sound Knowledge and a Track Record of Involvement in Darien Education

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To the editor:

Many Darien residents, like me, have children who have moved onto college and beyond but are still vested in the standard of education in Darien Public Schools. We are no longer privy to each school’s daily goings on, but we care about the education our neighbor’s children or grandchildren are receiving. Our highly ranked Darien public school system is partly what makes our community so desirable. Agree? Let’s therefore be energized and informed about electing the right candidates to the Darien Board of Education, who work tirelessly and communicate transparently to us all.

Darien Elections 2021
Letter to the Editor Swords WWII

Praise for Two Board of Ed Candidates: Stacey Tie Has Expertise, Julie Best Has Vision, Empathy

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To the editor,
Volunteers transform a town into a community. These people understand commitment and what it means to serve. When I saw that Stacey Tie and Julie Best were running in the upcoming election for the Board of Education on Nov. 2, I knew they were the only choice to represent all of our children and support our teachers. Students think and learn differently.