To the editor: Benelli for school board

Alan and I grew up in Chester and our families have been Vermont residents for generations. We have observed all the changes in Chester and been involved with many of them. I have been a teacher in this town for over 30 years. Our children and grandchildren attended our schools. We have what you would call roots in this community. As longtime residents who care deeply about Chester, we would like to recommend Patricia Benelli, or Penny as we know her, for the Green Mountain Union School Board.

We first met Penny when I opened a preschool known as Buckle My Shoe and she enrolled her son. We were young mothers together and Penny was a hands-on parent and a team player. At the time she was a law student at the Vermont Law School. Prior to this, Penny had been a teacher and thus has the background to understand issues from both the teacher and student points of view.

Penny recently retired from the law offices of Dakin & Benelli. The focus of her practice was protecting children from harm and from trauma when their parents separated or divorced. Over the years she was appointed by the court several times to represent children caught in these circumstances. Also to her credit, she helped write the Military Parents’ Rights’ Act which is still law today. This mattered to us as we had two children in the military. The act was meant to protect both the parent and the child from the disruption caused by deployment of a parent.

Over these years, we have observed someone with a detail oriented mind that searches for all of the information and all of the nuances of every circumstance. She reads extensively, studies intensely, yet always reaches for information and understanding from friends and colleagues. She is always willing to look at both sides of an issue and rethink something when asked to, which is a necessary skill for a school board member. She has supported and mentored countless local folks, and we are proud to know her and call her our friend.

Penny is a person who honors and practices honesty and integrity and would be a fantastic addition to our local school board. Alan and I ask for your support by voting for Patricia Benelli in March.

Alan and Kimberly (Amidon) Farrar
Chester