Dear Editor,

Paul Smiley would bring more than 40 years of experience as a teacher, coach, administrator and board member to the Danville school board.

Following a 10-year period in which the district has had four different superintendents, our school system now needs the kind of experience, wisdom and steadiness that Smiley would provide.

Smiley previously served on the board for 13 years from 1996 through 2008 and on the Danville City Commission for two years. He knows how to conduct himself properly as an elected official and how to work with the appointed officials who are hired to carry out board policies. His character and ethics were obvious to those who appointed him to two terms on the city ethics board.

He’s a thoughtful decision-maker, doing the homework needed to understand the issues that face our school system, and he’s independent, not beholden to any group or faction in the community or school system.

Moreover, outside of his work as a professional educator, Paul and his wife, Pat, served as parent leaders for many school and community activities for young people as they raised their three sons, Owen, Kevin and Eric, who themselves have become educators.

Voters should take the opportunity to elect Paul Smiley to the Danville school board in November.

John T. Davis

Danville