To the Editor:

As a council candidate on the Independent team, We Are Stafford, I would like to openly thank all Stafford residents who have been attending our meetings and fundraisers. I would like to thank the many local civic associations for extending invitations to our team, enabling us to share our message. I would like to thank the more than 3,000 residents who have opened their doors for our team during the last four months of us walking the neighborhoods in Stafford.

We’ve done this because we feel it is the duty for anyone seeking to represent their town to hear what is on the minds of their fellow residents. This election is not about the seven candidates personally. It’s about all of us who reside here. Neither I nor my fellow teammates look at this election as a prize to win, but rather a quest to keep this town in the hands of the people who live and pay taxes here only.

Personally, I have watched the new partisan process to elect a mayor and council in this town shift the focus away from the people of Stafford and fix it squarely on the politically connected, future political aspirations and ego. I’ve watched some good people I once called friends turn into something unrecognizable to me. On one hand it’s disheartening, yet on the other hand it only strengthens my resolve to fight even harder for our town, either as an elected official or as a citizen.

Regardless of the outcome, my team and I feel blessed to live in Stafford. Being a part of the election process has afforded us the chance to meet so many we would have otherwise never had the opportunity to. This experience has left us feeling even more connected to our community than we did before. We live among some great people and I merely want to express our gratitude for their graciousness and encouragement along the way. It’s humbling, to say the least.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and please remember to vote, for all of the elections in November. It’s not just our right; it’s a privilege that has been handed to us by anyone who has ever worn a uniform and said yes to defending the very principles our nation was founded on.

Never underestimate the power your voice carries.

Esther Libenschek

Stafford Township