4A | APRIL 29, 2021 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Cottage Grove Sentinel 116 N. Sixth St. Cottage Grove, Ore. 97424 ned hickson, managing editor | 541-902-3520 | nhickson@cgsentinel.com Opinion The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respect- ing an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Govern- ment for a redress of grievances. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800) USPS#133880 Copyright 2021 © COTTAGE GROVE SENTINAL Letters to the Editor Policy The Sentinel welcomes letters to the editor as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of letters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumentative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or without documentation will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside The Sentinel readership area will only be published at the discretion of the editor. Political/Election Letters: LETTERS Fill in the ballot bubble for Mark Boren To everyone in South Lane County, please join me in sup- porting Mark Boren for Lane Community College, Zone 1, Board of Education. I have known and worked closely with Mark for the past 15 years in my role as basketball coach at Elmira High School. Mark has spent his life ded- icated to the well-being of his community and its schools. He worked for 15 years in Special Education as an Instructional As- sistant for Lane ESD. He then began his career as a Training Officer, among other positions, for Lane Fire Author- ity (previously Lane County Fire District #1) and has been with them over 24 years. He and his wife raised five chil- dren in Veneta where he has lived the past 30 years. Currently, Mark serves as the Board Chair of the Fern Ridge School District, is on the Leadership and Advisory Board of Bushnell University, and on the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Oregon School Activities Association among his many service activities. His experience in school fi- nances began with a role on the Fern Ridge School District’s Bud- get Committee and continues in his role as Board Chair. Mark has dedicated his life to the youth in our county and be- lieves in the potential of all stu- dents to find success in life. He is a creative, organized and caring leader. I will be filling in the bubble for Mark Boren for LCC Board of Education. —Nick Garman Cottage Grove Re-elect Sherry Duerst-Higgins to school board Dedication, leadership, service above self — these are some of the characteristics I think about as I draft this letter in support of Sherry Duerst-Higgins in her bid to be re-elected to our local school board. We have been so blessed to have Sherry serving our commu- nity for so many years! Help Sherry continue to do great work in our community by re-electing her to the school board. —Mike Fleck Cottage Grove In support of Wilde for Lane ESD I enthusiastically endorse Rose Wilde for re-election to the at- large position on the Lane Edu- cational Service District board. Many know of her stellar work at Lane ESD. That seriousness of purpose is reflected also in my experience working with her during the last few years where I experienced the same work ethic and passion for the well-being of our communi- ties. Rose understands the impor- tance of shaping policy to effect systems-level change. At the same time, she dives into the work on the ground. She has volun- teered with students with special needs, worked to address child abuse prevention in communities from Oakridge to Mapleton, and taught courses in empathy and healthy relationships. As a result, she has a broad and deep understanding of issues in our community. Rose understands that career and technical education can ben- efit every student, preparing our children for the jobs available now and in the future while also giving a solid foundation in ac- ademics. Her time spent getting to know people from all different walks of life helps her understand that one size does not fit all in ed- ucation. Rose takes initiative to make change and has vast stores of knowledge and skills to bring to the work. She is quick to admit when there are gaps in her knowl- edge and works to close them. She is humble and quick to admit mistakes, understands the value of relationships, and is generous with support to her colleagues. At this time when we have many challenges facing our schools, we need people on the board with proven records for addressing them. I will cast my vote for Rose Wilde. —Nadia Telsey Eugene Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must: 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) Ensure any information about a candidate is accurate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) explain the reasons to support candidates based on personal experience and perspective rather than partisanship and campaign-style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publisher, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Send letters to: nhickson@cgsentinel.com HOW TO CONTACT YOUR REPS Oregon state representatives • Sen. Floyd Prozanski District 4 State Senator PO Box 11511 Eugene, Ore. 97440 Phone: 541-342-2447 Email : sen.fl oydprozanski@ state.or.us • Rep. Cedric Hayden Republican District 7 State Representative 900 Court St. NE Salem, Ore. 97301 Phone: 503-986-1407 Email: rep.cedrichayden@ state.or.us • Rep. Peter DeFazio (House of Representatives) 405 East 8th Ave. #2030 Eugene, Ore. 97401 Oregon federal representatives Email: defazio.house.gov/ contact/email-peter Phone: 541-465-6732 • Sen. Ron Wyden 405 East 8th Ave., Suite 2020 Eugene, Ore. 97401 Email: wyden.senate.gov Phone: (541) 431-0229 • Sen. Jeff Merkley Email: merkley.senate.gov Phone: 541-465-6750 • Heather Buch Lane County Commissioner - District 5 Email: Heather.Buch@lane countyorg.gov 125 E. Eighth Ave. Eugene, OR 97401 Or call 541-682-4203 S entinel C ottage G rove 541-942-3325 Administration Jenna Bartlett, Group Publisher Gary Manly, General Manager... Ext. 1207 gmanly@cgsentinel.com Gerald Santana, Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1216 gsantana@cgsentinel.com Carla Skeel, Inside Multi-Media Sales Consultant... Ext. 1203 csummers@cgsentinel.com Editorial Ned Hickson, Managing Editor... 541-902-3520 nhickson@cgsentinel.com Damien Sherwood, Lead Reporter... Ext. 1212 dsherwood@cgsentinel.com Zeahna Young, Sports Reporter... Ext. 1204 zyoung@cgsentinel.com Customer Service Meg Fringer, Office Manager, Legals, Classifieds... Ext. 1200 mfringer@cgsentinel.com Production Ron Annis, Production Supervisor... 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