Good evening!

Thank you to the League of Women Voters and the North Shore Coordinating Council for
hosting this event and for giving me the opportunity to explain why I am asking for your vote for Board
of Education Trustee.

The word courage comes from the Latin word for heart and the original meaning of courage was the
ability to speak from the heart and that is what I will do this evening. My name is Lara Gonzalez and I am
a twelve year resident of Sea Cliff. My husband, John, and I have three children – a tenth grader, a fifth
grader and a kindergartener. Next year we will have a child at each level – elementary, middle and high
school. I have been a parent in this district for eleven years and intend to be here for at least the next
twelve until our kindergartener graduates from North Shore High School in 2026.

I am passionate advocate for public education. For the past five years, I have served as a school
supervisor. Prior to that transition to school leadership, I was a full time teacher at the secondary level.
Currently, I supervise Social Studies and Career & Technical Education in grades kindergarten to 12th
grade in Oyster Bay – East Norwich Schools. On a daily basis, I interact with students, teachers, parents,
other supervisors, building principals, Central Administration, and community members. One of my
strengths is bringing together different groups of people and coming to consensus on what is in the best
interest of our students and the community. As Trustee, I would bring those skills to our district.

As Supervisor, I am responsible for ensuring that the district’s vision in Oyster Bay – East Norwich is
realized. The district vision in Oyster Bay is to maximize students’ potential in a cost effective way. We
have worked to do more with less. I have worked with the PTAs in Oyster Bay to bring special programs
to students and collaborated on grants to enrich our curriculum. I have forged partnerships with
organizations including the National Parks Service, and reached out to local businesses to create an
internship program for High School students. I have worked with Nassau BOCES to add a new Business
course for our students at the High School and more. As Trustee, I would bring those experiences to our
district.

I am passionate about public service. As a public servant, I am accustomed to serving all constituencies
in the district I work in. As your Trustee, I will work on behalf of the entire district – not just one
geographic area or group of people. My interest in serving on the School Board transcends a single issue.
My motivation for running for School Board is based on a desire to give back to the community in the
best way that I can, to share my expertise and create, with your support, a world-class school system
that we can afford. Let us together have the courage to engage in difficult conversations and to discuss
openly what matters most to us as a North Shore community.

I look forward to your questions.

President: I am a simple man with a Harvard degree and a solid understanding of tractors. When I was a
young boy, my father took me on his knee and told me the principle that has guided my life ever since:
“Agree with some things, disagree with other things.” His was truly the Greatest Generation, along with
a few that came before and a couple that have come since.

Why am I running for president of the United States of America? That’s a good question, and perhaps
there’s no good way to answer it. Or perhaps there is a good way to answer it. Either way, it’s a good
question and I’m glad it was raised.

I want to talk a little bit about our nation’s children. Before this speech, a young man named Stanley
Exley came up to me. Stanley is a mechanic, a noble profession if there ever was one. Or perhaps he is a
chemistry professor, also noble. He was holding his small daughter, Emily, an adorable 3-year-old who
was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Stanley is a straight shooter, and he came up to me and asked
me a question I’ll never forget: “Do you like children?” And I looked him straight in the eye and said,
“Yes, Stanley, I very much like children.” Maybe that’s not a popular opinion, but it’s what I believe. And
to those of you who would say, “I don’t think children are our future,” I must reply in the strongest of
terms: “I disagree.” Sometimes you have to take a stand for what you believe in.

Our country is sharply divided over a war that is being waged in a distant land. My views on this war are
clear: it is happening, it is happening in Iraq, and it will continue to happen until it stops. Some people
believe we should withdraw all the troops now. Some people believe we should stay and fight until
we’ve established a stable nation. Some people believe we should gradually hand over control to the
Iraqi government. I feel blessed to live in a country with so many beliefs.

"It's going to take lots of energy for us to grapple with the challenge we're facing, and some of it is on
vivid display in these pages." —Bill McKibben
On the subject of South African apartheid: I strongly, strongly, strongly oppose it. I’m glad it’s gone, and I
hope it never comes back.

The state of our economy is in flux. Every single day, the stock market goes up or goes down or stays the
same. If elected president, I will ask the Federal Reserve to take a good long look at the interest rate and
decide whether or not to change it. If elected president, I will create jobs where there are none, and
where there are jobs, I will create internships.

Let us take actions that will make people happy.

Let us take actions that will make people healthy or perhaps have the private sector do it.

A special edition of Unnecessarily Beautiful Spaces for Young Minds on Fire, packaged in a limited,
corrugated-cardboard slipcase. Every kid in the world needs a safe, welcoming, and even weird...
Let us take actions regarding taxes.

And let us move boldly so that our children and our children’s children can look back and say, “I’m glad
they moved boldly on this, this, and that.”

Thank you.