A Final Thank You.....and Don't Forget to Vote!!

I've enjoyed meeting many new people throughout my campaign. I'd like to personally thank everyone of you who have either made contact with me, or allowed me to make contact with you, whether through phone calls, emails, at the football game, or during my door to door campaigning. It was a pleasure meeting you and hearing your thoughts and ideas on how our school district could be improved going forward.

I know that we all can't agree on everything, and I know that some will have a different set of ideas on how our district needs to improve. Knowing that we may have to agree to disagree on some issues, what I can promise each and everyone of you, is that I will take your ideas seriously and will make sure that our Board discusses those ideas. I will work with our students and faculty to ensure that their voices are heard by the Board. I will work with our community members to ensure that their voices are heard by the Board. But most importantly, especially in light of how certain campaigns have unfolded, I will be RESPECTFUL and PROFESSIONAL in my dealings with all stakeholders of this district! Ultimately, decisions need to be made for this district, and not all parties can be satisfied to their ultimate likeing. But, I will make sure that proper attention is given to each issue, and again, will ensure that I perform my duties with INTEGRITY. That is why I'm asking you to write me in on that write in line. WRITE IN ERIC PETERSON

Thank you again to everyone that I have had a chance to meet. I wish I could have made it to every household in the district to personally meet each of you. Thank you to those of you that took time out of your day to ask questions. Thank you to those that are getting out to vote. I know that not all of you can or will support my campaign, and that not all of you will write my name on that "write in" line tomorrow, but I really do appreciate your time and thoughts as well.

A special thank you to all of my supporters! You all mean so much to me and my campaign. Thank you for all your hard work in spreading the word! I have been humbled by your kindness and thoughtfullness. I have been inspired by your willingness to help another. You are why I fell in love with this district so long ago, and you are why I will always fight for what's right for this district.

A very special thank you to my wife and two daughters! As they "seem like nice people" to some, they are by far the most loving and supportive people in my life. The sacrifice they have given in lost husband and father time this last week and a half has been heart breaking for me, yet very much appreciated so I could focus my efforts on this great cause. They've asked for nothing in return......except a WIN!!

Finally, good luck to all the candidates out there. Of course, I hope to be serving with two of you, but if it wasn't meant to be for me this time around, then I hope the three of you will remember that this Board is a nonpartisan board and that you'll come together and do good for our district.

Thank you,
Eric Peterson

P.S. - Also, no matter who gets elected, please remember that this district serves many ages of students through many grades (K-12) and isn't only focused on high school students. Also, please remember that not everyone will choose a path that includes a college or university. We must not only focus on preparing our students academically for greater education, but we most also develop better people and better leaders. We have to develop character, social skills, and teamwork skills, so our students will be ready for the real world (whether that's university life, work after high school, athletics, technical school, theatre, or whatever else our students desire to achieve).



paid for by Eric Peterson, 5913 NW 96th Ct. Johnston, IA 50131

See You at the Game

The young men of Johnston’s varsity football team plays host to the Sioux City East Black Raiders, Friday night, September 4th. The Raiders come into the game 1-0 after soundly beating Des Moines Roosevelt 46-21 last week. Your Dragon team also enters the game 1-0 after beating Ames last week 30-17.

I invite you to come out to the game and not only cheer on your Johnston varsity football team, but also support your Dragon cheerleaders and Dragon marching band. It should be a beautiful evening. I’ll be in attendance as well, and look forward to meeting you and answering any questions I can about my campaign and the upcoming election.

In the meantime, have a great Friday and I look forward to seeing you tonight.

- Eric Peterson

Have a Flyer!!

This is an important election for our school district and we need to make sure that we are taking the time to make an informed decision. We also need to make sure everyone knows that there is a choice this year! Although there are only 3 ballot candidates for 3 open seats, with enough support, a write in nominee can make a difference.

I'm going to need your help, if I'm going to obtain a seat on the school board. We really need to get the word out that there is an excellent candidate out there who really cares for this community and this school district. A candidate that will work hard to bring the issues to the table for discussion. A candidate that won't bog down the Board or the community with the pushing of personal agendas, but will rather bring energy and passion; focused on resolving those issues that are at the heart of our school district.

So, would you like a flyer? Are you willing to help me spread the word? Feel free to print this flyer, or send me an email and I'd be glad to email the flyer to you .(peterson4jsb@gmail.com).

Thank you.

My Top 3 Goals

Since I’m running with somewhat late notice as a write in candidate, I didn’t get the chance to partake in the public forum that the Johnston Education Association (JEA) hosted a couple weeks back. Since I feel it’s important that all voters see all opinions, I thought I would take the next few days to answer some of the questions that the JEA asked to the 3 ballot nominees.

2. What do you see as 3 of your top priorities if elected?


I’ve discussed my top 3 goals as to why I’m running in previous posts, but I’ll reintroduce them and bring them altogether here.


1) I want to help be a catalyst for effective teamwork by the board. That means that the board needs to be built on respect: respect for each other, respect for the community/students/staff, and respect for the issues. An effective team needs to listen actively and intently to the public and then needs to openly and persistently debate the issues presented. Issues are discussed. Personal agendas are not. The deliberations are respectful, making sure that personality conflicts and personal attacks are not introduced. This Board is nonpartisan. Board members should not be focused on “liberals vs. conservatives” or “democrats vs. republicans.” They should not let their party lines interfere with their vision and their decision making. They should not let their party lines cloud their judgment. Board members, instead, should be focused on what’s best for this school district and this community.

2) I want to help be a catalyst for the pursuit of excellence. I want our district to develop a long term vision for excellence, achievable by several shorter term goals. We need to continually ask ourselves, “What is excellence?” and “How are we going to get to excellence?” We can’t be complacent, but rather, we must be proactive. We can’t just settle on being a good school district, but rather, we must continually pursue being a great school district. We can’t just do things as we always have, but rather, we must realize that as our students and community develop, and as technology develops, and as we continue to grow, we must look at what changes are needed to help keep us on that path to greatness. We’ll need to look at how we invest. We’ll need to ensure that we continue investing in those things that are going to get us to excellence: world class facilities, world class faculty and support staff, world class curriculum improvements, and world class co-curriculars.

3) I want to help be a catalyst for an energetic and passionate team. I view our Board as a “team”, working with and for other “teams” (students, faculty, community members, etc). In my experience, the best way for a “team” to stay productive and focused is to ensure that the team has energy and is passionate about their mission. I’ve served on many different “teams” (sports teams, business teams, volunteer teams), and I continue to bring an energy and passion to what I do. I’ve been entrenched in this school district my entire life and I definitely have the passion needed to help our school board advance this district in the right direction.