My name is Donna Conley and I live in Concord. My family moved from Massachusetts almost ten years ago here to get out of the hustle and bustle of city life and to raise our kids in this small community. We don’t regret this for one moment.
I was never politically active until a few years ago when my best friend got involved in local, then state, politics. I was a Republican, she a Democrat, and I thought politics was simply not a subject we should talk about if we valued our friendship! Well, we did talk politics, a lot actually, and I found that her ideas were full of common sense that we both agreed on. When you get Stephanie started, what you get right off the bat is her compassion for the folks of Essex County. She is worried about the elderly making life & death decisions when it comes to deciding between getting their prescriptions or paying their utility bill. She is worried about her kids and all the other kids leaving when they graduate because there is nothing to keep them here Economic wise. She’s worried that while the kids are here growing up there is not much offered to keep the kids involved in activities that are healthy for them outside of sports offered during the school year.
I recently attended our town meeting and was quite bored to tears and confused really with Representative Peaslee when she spoke. I heard from numerous others that had attended the Saturday Informational meeting that this was another “here we go again scenario”.
So let me ask this, why do people in Essex County keep electing her? I don’t know the answer, but I will tell you why you should elect Stephanie Sterling to replace her as the next State Representative.
- We have sent Rep. Peaslee to represent us for sixteen years now. Does anyone feel sending her to the Statehouse has reaped tremendous rewards for that decision? Maidstone has a bridge, it only took her sixteen years to get it done. Do you want to wait another sixteen years for our needs to be met or would you like to take a chance and send someone new over? I’ll take the chance.
- Stephanie is a team player. She works with everyone no matter what their politics are and she has proven it. Instead of putting down or refusing to work with someone of another party, she values what they have to contribute to finding the solution. She directs her energy into getting everyone to the table and being productive. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you are part of something bigger. She knows how to do both.
- Stephanie believes in accountability. She views it as an honor to serve her neighbors at the Statehouse. She knows our opinions are more important than hers. She believes in regularly keeping the people at home informed of what is going on at the Statehouse and what she specifically is working on. She knows the only way to properly serve everyone at home is to know what they think, and she will do everything she can to get the feedback she needs to cast the right vote on behalf of all of us. She has her own opinions but she knows when you are elected, you are to vote on behalf of the constituents, not on behalf of yourself. If you ask her a question and she doesn’t know the answer, she finds it and actually gets back to you!
Stephanie Sterling is the right person to Represent Essex County. I challenge everyone in our House District to really take a look and see if the Representation we currently have is effective and serving us proudly. If you come to the same conclusion as I have, take a stand. Change is not a popular topic around here, but change is inevitable. We can stall it, or we can say enough is enough.
Respectfully Submitted,
Donna Conley
N. Concord, VT 695-3342
