Noblesville voter: Devon Wellington will represent the entire community

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Dear Editor:

Eighteen years ago, I packed up my Broad Ripple home with my husband at the time and our daughter who was inching toward Kindergarten age. Noblesville was the community where we happily landed.

Now that Kindergartner is a senior at Purdue while her younger sister is a senior at Noblesville High. Our household experienced significant challenges during their school years, including my divorce in 2019 and, just last year, the loss of their father.

Fortunately, my girls and I had relatives, friends, and a school family supporting us through both events. I can’t imagine living through those struggles without the strength of Noblesville Schools and the care of their administrators, teachers, and – thankfully – counselors.

I want leaders who believe in strong schools without sending mixed signals about that. That’s why I am confidently supporting Devon Wellington’s campaign for State Representative.

As a single parent to two young women, a longtime Noblesville resident, a former library trustee, and someone who believes strongly in our public institutions, I want our students to have schools and libraries where they can learn, freely explore and express ideas, and become thoughtful citizens – not just clones of their parents.

Wellington has made public schools a central element of her campaign. And she describes her approach as listening to constituents and holding herself accountable to the people she represents. What a refreshing concept!

What kind of leader do we want showing up for us in the Statehouse: a representative who approaches her job as an advocate for only an ideological constituency or the one who will represent the entire community?

For me, as someone who doesn’t fit the mold of the idyllic traditional family in multiple ways, that difference matters tremendously: Vote Devon on Nov. 3!

Michelle Payne
Noblesville