As a Whitefish educator 'retired) and a graduate of Whitefish High School, no other election is as personal for me as our school board selections. I seek out those with vision, knowledge, willingness to learn, and an overriding insistence for quality education for our youths.

Charlie Abell fits this description. Charlie's roots run deep in Whitefish. He's a 1958 Whitefish High School graduate, and his love for our schools and commitment to excellence is obvious to any who know him.

Over the course of many conversations with Charlie, I've come to realize that he is well versed about school finance, school law and how schools function. He's learned well from previous terms on the board and from self-education.

As retired CEO of the Whitefish Credit Union, Charlie brings to the table a wealth of financial and personal experience. Beyond this, with his vision, encouragement and work ethic, we watched our Whitefish Credit Union grow into a billion dollar quality institution.

Charlie's heart, his very life, is Whitefish. His words and actions over decades (he's no spring chicken) speak to the truth of this. As a teacher years ago, I voted for him and will again. Now that Charlie is retired from the Whitefish Credit Union, let's put him back to work — serving our youth.

Dewey Hartman

Whitefish