Trustee's role is to groom a successor...

Dear editor, This is in response to Richard Van Dyk's Oct. 25 letter to the editor, "Trustee wrong to offer recommendation". As current school board trustee for Halton Hills, one of the roles of Ethel Gardiner's leadership is to choose and groom a successor, which is very common practice in the political world. While several people approached Ethel about wanting to become the next trustee, she told me that she approached Mike Parkhill because she was impressed by how involved he is in the community and how he would represent the learning needs of ALL of the children. In her words, "Mike is in this for all the right reasons". While some people may not approve of her endorsing one candidate over another, I look to Ethel for guidance in this matter, as I have nothing but the utmost respect for her and trust her judgment. This does not mean that I let other people do my thinking for me-- rather, I know what an incredible job Ethel has done over her terms as trustee, and my confidence in Ethel's care for our children would only lead me to believe that she would put equal passion into making sure that she left the Georgetown schools in great hands. Marnie Carey, Georgetown