As a 23-year member of Cuesta’s teaching faculty, it was with great disappointment that I read your endorsement of a candidate who represents uninspiring continuity in the Board of Trustees’ unenviable public record of failed policies and botched decisions.

I fervently support a sound candidate, David Baldwin, who will bring a breath of fresh air to a stale body in dire need of tolerant lucidity, attentive reason, and purposeful reflection. Unlike the other candidate, Baldwin is not an institutional longtime insider; he will prove to be an innovative voice with an indispensable external perspective!

Additionally, Baldwin has extensive and successful experience as a member of other boards of trustees, so he is no novice to board procedures (and will not be a mere apprentice). Students, faculty and support staff have endured numerous years of stale policies and rubber-stamping of misguided decisions. At last we have an uncommon opportunity to vote for a candidate who actually believes in the power of locally controlled public education and will act with caution, reason and thoughtful deliberation.