As I sit down to fill out my municipal ballot for the upcoming election, I’m pausing for just a moment to feel extra proud of my neighbors, and grateful I have some boxes to fill in that I can feel really good about. Lately, with elections this feeling has been a bit rare.

I’m especially excited about a couple of candidates for school board, Will Muldoon and Ebett Siddon. Serving on the school board, during a pandemic no less, is a thankless job that requires broad, big picture thinking, and an incredible amount of both patience and empathy – Juneau is lucky to have candidates willing to step up that possess these qualities. There are countless communities across the nation that cannot say the same for their current school board candidate choices — Muldoon and Siddon offer us the opportunity to support a thoughtful, tempered, experienced tone when it comes to decisions that ultimately impact our most precious resource.

I’m a product of the Juneau School District and am proud to say so, and I look forward to the future as my daughter is about to attend kindergarten at the very same school where I started out. I’m hoping the rest of our neighbors will join us in voting for Ebett Siddon and writing in Will Muldoon for school board as they will serve with the background knowledge it takes to look forward, and the open ears that are crucial to ensuring every voice is heard and respected.

Laura Martinson,

Juneau

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