Fremont County is large, diverse, and filled with opinions, or “talk in the 10.” “Talk in the 10” is an opportunity for you, our readers, to articulate and share your thoughts about what is happening in the community with the community. Letters may have been edited for clarity and length, but generally have been published exactly as received. The views expressed in the following are solely those of the author. Send your letters to our editors by emailing opinion@county10.com
(Lander, WY) – In response to Mr. Jensen’s question, “Is it wrong for a school board candidate to be conservative?“, the obvious answer is No.
Equally obvious from his letter is that he believes that those who hold different viewpoints from his own must hold “extreme far left political views.”
Mr. Jensen seems to resort to sly accusations and slinging arrows of derision in these opinion pieces as a means of instilling fear and anger of anything that doesn’t conform to his worldview. None of these approaches describes a candidate with an open mind, an ability to accept change or innovation, or a willingness to listen and consider varying points of view.
So, while it is not wrong for a candidate to be conservative, neither is it wrong for a candidate to be liberal or moderate.
Our schools: students, staff and parents and the community at large, would be best served by board members with diverse viewpoints, who are willing to listen to one another and debate issues in service to all constituents, not just those who conform to their own points of view. Mr. Jensen doesn’t fit the bill.
Marianne Gapinski, Conservative but open-minded
Lander