On November 6, 2007, I'll be voting Matthew John Markling for the Lakewood City Schools Board of Education. In other articles published by the Lakewood Observer, Richard A. Wair and Teresa Coyne Andreani shared with you that they are voting Markling for the Lakewood School Board in part because Markling is dedicated to improving academic excellence and school safety. I would like to share with you Markling’s dedication to leadership.

I first met Matt Markling when the Lakewood Heritage Advisory Board gave a preservation award to Matt and his wife Katie for the exemplary work they did rebuilding the front porch of their Belle Avenue home. The house exhibits the charm and character that people come to Lakewood for, and is such a wonderful example of a meticulously maintained, appropriately updated early 20th century colonial that the Lakewood Historical Society featured it on the 2004 “Come Home to Lakewood” house tour.

Merely weeks after the house tour I was surprised to again encounter Markling — this time as a fellow member of both the Lakewood High School Student Conduct and School Climate Committee and the Heritage Committee. There I learned of Markling’s commitment to the Lakewood City Schools even though he didn’t yet have children attending school. Markling provided valuable insight to both committees.

Markling’s professional background and expertise in school law gave the Lakewood High School Student Conduct and Climate Committee guidance in our quest to organize community and committee input into a realistic set of suggestions to present to the superintendent for implementation. The following year, Markling went on to share his knowledge when the same planning process was extended to the middle school level. The Heritage Committee was delighted when, after discussion about the origin and meaning of the “Madison names” (those that were cut into the stone frieze of Madison School and now grace the south side of Harding), Markling came to the next meeting with copies of the research he had done to solve the mystery.

Markling and I continued to meet periodically after our committee involvement ended to discuss our views of the schools and of Lakewood in general. I found that I always came away from those meetings with new ideas to think about. Our conversations demonstrated that Markling feels strongly about open and honest communication among the School Board, administration, teachers, staff, parents, students and all the taxpayers who support the Lakewood City Schools. I also feel that open and honest communication is crucial in maintaining the trust of the stakeholders — and an essential characteristic Lakewood looks for in a leader.

I encouraged Markling to run for Lakewood School Board to share his ideas and leadership on a larger scale. Because of his commitment to open and honest communication, as a school board member Markling has pledged to:

· Assure that the mission and educational goals of the school district or school reflect the educational needs identified by a broad representation of stakeholders;

· Assure that board policies and the district’s educational goals are available to stakeholders;

· Listen to and appropriately respond to stakeholder concerns about current and future school operations in a timely manner; and

· Model and promote ethical behavior among all stakeholders.

In preparing for his run for the Lakewood School Board, Markling made sure to surround himself with a team of diverse individuals dedicated to Lakewood and our school system. I am proud to be part of Team Markling. Markling is running on a platform of improving academic excellence, school safety and leadership, with leadership forming the foundation for academic excellence and school safety. As a school board member, Markling has promised to help build public support and understanding of public education, and lead the public in demanding quality education for all our children.

The futures of the Lakewood City Schools and the City of Lakewood are inexorably entwined. Even residents without children are concerned about education, as they understand the effect school quality has on their property values. I’m voting Markling for the Lakewood School Board because I believe his leadership will help maintain the rich history of excellence the schools have long enjoyed. To learn more about Markling, please visit www.marklingforlakewood.com.

Vote Markling for School Board on November 6, 2007!