Sherman strives to bring Medina community together to solve problems
Editor:
I’m writing this letter of support for my friend and (retired) colleague Marguerite Sherman, who is the current mayor of Medina and is now seeking another term.
I’ve known Marguerite as a teaching colleague for the entirety of my (27-year) career. I also know her as a friend, and I know her to be a person invested in what is going on locally, be it community events, school events, or local politics.
Marguerite Sherman has always had a presence. In all of these arenas, she is actively involved, caring, intelligent, and sincere. I have learned so much from the example she has consistently set.
She has taught me that in everything, there is one constant: we are all neighbors. We have to find a way to live and work together. Over the years, there is one sentence I have heard her say again and again: “We’ve got this.” And she always says it with a smile. She means it, and she will be right there alongside you, working to make it happen. From one step to the next, she’s done her homework, whether through deep reading, meeting with various stakeholders, or doing the labor herself.
Marguerite Sherman has also taught me that labels do not define a person. In a village and in a town, there’s no such thing as a Democrat or a Republican. Everyone is just a neighbor. What defines someone as worthy of leadership in public office is their character, honesty, intelligence, work ethic, faith, perseverance, humility, generosity, and empathy. Marguerite Sherman embodies all these qualities.
She puts herself last. She puts her constituents— all of whom she treats as neighbors— first. Over the years, I’ve watched her give so much of her time, energy, and care to Medina, a community she loves. She doesn’t do it for power or status. When she starts something, she wants to see it through and is willing to keep working to help long-term goals become a reality.
She signs up for thankless jobs all the time. At the school, there were many volunteer jobs she did behind the scenes that were unknown to most people. She didn’t want money or recognition. She just cared and wanted to make her school community the best it could be. With quiet dedication and hours of labor behind the scenes, the endeavors she led and assisted were better because she was there.
I’ve seen her bring this same ethic to the work she does now as Mayor of Medina and as an active member of Medina and Orleans County, regularly attending other entities’ meetings, like the Shelby town board meetings. She is there to listen and truly hear what the people around her care about and value.
It’s why when questions about water, shared services, or aging infrastructure come up, I know she will be part of the solution. She understands what surrounding communities care about and works well with people across different entities and across party lines.
No one running for public office can magically solve all the issues facing our villages and towns. But we need people who do more than grandstand. We need people who are willing to work together to accomplish goals.
When I see a picture in the Hub of the Village of Medina Mayor sitting down with people from Ridgeway and Shelby, it restores my faith in what we have here in Medina: the ability to work together to solve things. Marguerite Sherman will never outshout anyone. She will smile, take notes, and listen. Patience and behind-the-scenes labor rarely gets the headline, yet these virtues are sorely lacking in the world today.
When I see a person like Marguerite Sherman running for office once again, I know it is because she truly wants to help the village be the very best that it can be. It is my honor to give Marguerite Sherman this character reference and to endorse her candidacy as Mayor of Medina.
Respectfully,
Karen Jones
Medina
