Smear of school board candidate isn’t what we need

Published 1:30 am Sunday, September 7, 2025

This month I received in the mail two vicious, negative ads attacking Anna Marie Jackson Laurence, who is running for the Everett School Board, Position 3. Her opponent, Tom Clarke, did not authorize these ads. Instead, they were produced by the Committee for Educational Integrity for Everett Public schools. This organization consists of two people, James and Shelly Lee (“Mill Creek family throws $489K into Everett School Board races,” The Herald, Aug. 30).

The Lees’ grudge is apparently with Jackson High School’s robotics team. They are acting out their frustration by attacking a superbly qualified candidate who was appointed in the spring to fill a vacancy on the Everett School Board. These ads are disgusting. They are exactly the wrong thing our fragile political climate needs in 2025.

Bob Jackson

Everett