Bertlin and Drinkwater | Editorial

Published 10:44 am Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The choice for the two positions on the Aug. 4 ballot is clear. Incumbent Debbie Bertlin should be returned to the City Council. Tracy Drinkwater should be elected to Position No. 3 on the Mercer Island School District Board of Directors.

During Bertlin’s four years on the City Council, she has faced a wide range of challenging issues, from tolling I-90 to the E. coli crisis, the visioning of the Town Center to budget deficits. A longtime professional with tech companies and a Mercer Island High School graduate, she also has been a volunteer in the community. She was a member and officer with the Mercer Island Preschool Association MIPA (the very cradle of community service in this town) and the Open Space Conservancy Trust. Her four years of experience on the Council is invaluable and cannot be matched by her opponents.

The choice for the Position No. 3 on the Mercer Island School District School Board is Tracy Drinkwater. Drinkwater has been involved with Island youth for many years. She was, of course, involved in the Preschool Association and with Communities That Care, YTN and the PTA. Most importantly, she is a certified teacher and has taught in the Mercer Island School District. She now works with students and families as a tutor and educational consultant. She is smart, committed and well-spoken.

While the other candidates are smart and passionate, they do not have the kind of background or experience that these two women bring to the table. What Bertlin and Drinkwater also possess is years of intense, hands-on involvement: hours in the classroom working directly with other educators, students and their families, and in the Council chambers listening to staff, citizens and other government entities.

Those hours and days are what separates them from the other candidates.