Thanks for sticking up for the interest of the kids

I would like to say thank you to Councilwoman Molly Whilesmith for being the only member of town council to have the courage to fight for the public school children of Sparta. Despite the fact that the budget stayed below the 2 percent cap mandated by the state (something town council could not do this year), despite the fact that the budget vote was surrounded by controversy, occurred during spring break, and failed by only 84 votes, the other four members of town council voted to cut the school budget by $568,000 — only $32,000 less than the cut they made last year when the budget lost by 70 percent. At the end of the day, these four members saved the average Sparta taxpayer $3 a month ... the cost of an iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts. Thank you to Mrs. Whilesmith for not backing down to all the egos in the room on May 18. You may not have been able to win against boys’ club politics this time, but the parents of Sparta appreciate all your efforts. You were the true leader of our town on that night. Thank you for being brave enough to do the right thing. Deirdre Mastandrea Sparta