Letters to the New Paltz Times 4/16 Issue

Torres is a leader for our generation

My name is Matthew R.C. Evans and I am a trustee on the Elmsford Board of Education in Elmsford, NY in Westchester County. In 2007, I was elected at the age of 19, making me one of the youngest serving Board of Education members in our great state. The people of New Paltz have a great opportunity on their hands. They have an opportunity to elect someone with passion, drive, desire and connection with the community to help lead their school district into the future. To have been in the district on a daily basis means to know what the district needs to move forward, where progress can be made, and above all else what the students need to succeed. It is with that, that I endorse and urge the citizens of New Paltz to elect Daniel Torres to the New Paltz Board of Education.

Though this may be the first elected position Mr. Torres is seeking, he is certainly no rookie to leadership or volunteerism. He has campaigned, organized and volunteered for scores of campaigns, including being the New Paltz coordinator for the Barack Obama for President campaign. Outside of politics, Daniel has given himself up to his community, volunteering as a softball assistant coach and a teaching assistant at his place of worship. Mr. Torres is dedicated to his community, dedicated to his school and has a track record of being dedicated to doing the right thing.

Let us not ignore the obvious: Mr. Torres is 18 years old. However, age cannot teach you the true attributes necessary to serve your community and serve it well: heart, passion, will power, motivation and aspiration to ensure that a New Paltz education is an education of excellence. The true qualities of a leader are innate, and Daniel showcases them on the outside. He has an atypical, yet necessary insight on the district. He can personally attest to what works, what does not, where improvements need to be made, and what the students need most to succeed both academically and socially. I can say from personal experience that being younger than your board of education colleagues will allow for you to offer different perspectives at the table, thus yielding the appropriate actions being taken.

My generation is making a stand, proclaiming that we are ready to serve. With leaders like Daniel Torres, the future is bright. For wise insight, true integrity, new perspective, and a drive for excellence above all else, I strongly urge you to cast your vote for Daniel Torres for the New Paltz Board of Education.

Matthew R.C. Evans, Trustee

Elmsford Board of Education


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KT and Torres deserve your voteI don't know whose seats are up or who the other candidates for school board are, but I do know that I will be voting for KT Tobin Flusser and Dan Torres.

KT Flusser is an active, engaged community resident who regularly attends GreenWorks, town, village, school board and a myriad of other meetings. And she doesn't just sit there -- she always contributes thoughtful, reasoned data.

Good data leads to good decisions and KT's professional training in research and personal passion for education will help our school board deal with the challenges ahead.

And as for Dan Torres -- what better testament to its effectiveness could a school district hope for than to have educated such an outstanding young man? I like his enthusiasm and his practical ideas on how to "green" the district.

Let's give both Torres and Flusser a chance to serve on our school board.

Kitty Brown

New Paltz