Get involved to change the process

To the editor:

Lynda Waddington laments the loss of public discourse, 'sunshine” in her terms, for input on school board superintendent in the recent selection ('Goodbye, Sunshine,” March 21).

Her position seems to be that she (we) had no input on the selection since she (we) weren't able to challenge, filter or destroy the potential selections before the process played out. As to 'usurping transparency requirements”, in my private sector experience, a few, best-qualified individuals would be selected to solve a specific problem or search out a needed resource.

A native of Cedar Rapids and the soon-to-be former director of the Iowa Department of Education, Brad Buck seems to be qualified for the job. Perhaps Buck wasn't Waddington's pick.

In all levels of government, we elect others to represent us, relying on our principles and research, and their judgment, to 'make the right call' on issues we actually elected them to resolve. If we don't like the outcome, we periodically have opportunity to replace them but we do have to live with the outcome, i.e., Affordable Care Act (think Obamacare). I wonder if Waddington railed about the process employed to give us the ACA.

I don't have children in the Cedar Rapids system so I may be a little callous, but to me it's about the underlying principle of representative government and an intelligent electorate. If you don't like the process, get involved in the trenches to change it; don't destroy those who are willing to put themselves out there personally and professionally.

Stan Thornberry

Cedar Rapids