October 05, 2012
Friday

Letter to the Editor

As a teacher in the School District, I have known Matt Olsen since he was an elementary school student at Valley Park School. As a parent, I have known Matt as a high school friend of one of our daughters and as a fine musician in the Concert Band.  Then, years later I got to know him much better as an adult with a young family and a responsible job at the University.

In 2006 we found ourselves both running for positions on the School Board. We also found that although a generation apart, we shared many similar ideas and priorities about education and what was best for our students. In the three years we served together on the Board, I was always impressed with Matt’s thoughtful preparation for our meetings and his careful analysis of information. He often saw things from a different perspective and brought that valuable ability to our discussions. His decisions and votes were always well thought out and based on well-stated rationale.

He left the School Board to take a teaching job at the Tongass School of Arts and Sciences and has had great success and pleasure in this new career. He has also been serving on the City Council and in this role continues to demonstrate his great commitment to our community,

I feel that Matt Olsen would be an excellent State Representative for District 33 and would represent Ketchikan with great diligence and effectiveness. He has my vote and I hope he will have yours.

Karen Eakes
Ketchikan, AK

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