To the editor:
Each time my daughter runs for office I wonder if it is appropriate for me to write a letter of endorsement to the papers. This year, as I see my daughter’s name on the Westwood ticket for mayor, I realized who knows her better than me, who better to write an endorsement.
From the moment she entered this world Jodi was a positive force. When she sets her mind to something, nothing can stop her. She never needs outside motivation because her desire to achieve her goals is so strong, and this started when she was in preschool. She has an amazing ability to empathize, to understand and to take on the challenges of those who cannot.
Jodi has always been an overachiever. She always made dean’s list, she received many awards in school, she was editor of her yearbook, on Student Council, class officer, Principal’s Advisory Committee, National Honor Society, Latin Honor Society, Math Honor Society, and she made it to the state tournament for golf.
Jodi started volunteering when she was in elementary school, visiting the sisters in the nursing home at Mount Alverno, where she would read to them or keep them company while making crafts or playing games. When she was in the third grade she started tutoring younger students on reading and math. In high school she volunteered for the ASPCA. As an adult she has volunteered for some many different organizations I can hardly keep track of them all.
One of my proudest moments as a mom was seeing her complete her first marathon for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). She went on the run many more, raising a lot of money for LLS, and eventual volunteering her time as a coach team in training.
I have watched her, with pride and admiration, grow from a determined child to the dedicated mom and public servant she is today. I couldn’t be more proud of my daughter. She is an inspiration to me, and a great example to her son Cooper.
I couldn’t imagine anyone better to be the mayor of Westwood, the town that I grew up in along with my siblings Kevin, Joey, Joan, Kitty, and Susan. Jodi has been a part of Westwood in one way or another her entire life. Her experiences, and her desire to make Westwood a community for everyone makes her the right person for mayor.
Anne Schappert-Murphy
Westwood
