From a press release from the Chester County Libertarian Party
A Chester County Libertarian has advanced to the general election for school director for Region 2 of the West Chester Area School District.
It has become standard practice for Republican school board candidates to “cross-file” to appear on the Democratic primary ballot and for Democratic school board candidates to cross-file to appear on the Republican primary ballot. Although it is permissible for third-party candidates and Independents to cross file to appear on both ballots as well, it’s not something that happens very often, if ever.
Peggy Schmitt, a Chester County Libertarian, did just that. Not only did she gather the required petition signatures to get onto both primary ballots and emerge victorious from a legal challenge to one of her petitions, last week she also managed to win one of the two Republican nominations. So now, residents of West Chester Area School District Region 2 will have a chance to vote for her in the general election in November and put a true third-party candidate onto the West Chester Area School Board.
The board currently consists of one Republican and eight Democrats. A Libertarian would bring a different perspective to the board. Libertarians tend to align with Republicans on fiscal issues and Democrats on social issues with most issues pivoting on the “non-aggression” principle. Libertarians seek solutions that protect the rights of individuals without stepping on the rights of others. A Libertarian on a school board would keep the district focused on meeting its Constitutional obligations to educate children while taking as little money from taxpayers as possible to achieve that goal. A Libertarian would also seek to give parents as much control as possible over their own children’s education without enabling them to limit another child’s education. Along with this, a Libertarian would insist on complete transparency so that every taxpayer can know and understand how their money is being spent to further the education of all children in the district.
Schmitt has received the endorsement and support of Back to Basics West Chester, a nonpartisan Political Action Committee (PAC) that was founded by local parents committed to bringing balance to the West Chester Area School District Board of Directors. The PAC does not endorse candidates based on their party affiliation and instead endorses candidates based on their diverse backgrounds, commitment to serve the community, alignment with the platform, and their balanced views on how to best approach the myriad of issues facing the school district. The platform, which consists of six pillars (School Safety, Keeping Politics Out of the Classroom, Academic Excellence, Fiscal Accountability, Transparency, and Parents as Partners) aligns well with Libertarian principles.
As a registered Libertarian, Peggy could not vote for herself in the primary because Pennsylvania only allows registered Republicans and Democrats to participate in the primaries, but she was pleased to receive the support of many voters, including enough Republicans to advance to the general election in November.
“I am encouraged and hopeful after Tuesday’s win! Parents and taxpayers have spoken to us, and we agree that it is time to bring the West Chester Area School District back to excellence. We owe it to our children,” Schmitt said.
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