Barbara Honig, best known these days for her Sister City leadership, was in front of her mid-city home on Sunday morning, farewelling a couple who had attended a meet ‘n greet for School Board candidate Dr. Kelly Kent when a passerby of indistinctive repute popped a leading question to her:
Why is she, a two-term former School Board member of considerable repute in the 20th and 21st centuries (1993-2001), and a retired educator, backing Dr. Kent in the Nov. 3 election?
Before a bird could chirp, the wife of former Mayor Gary Silbiger and the mother of former School Board member Karlo Silbiger, delivered a thoughtful answer.
She turns out to be a stentorian one-woman band for Dr. Kent.
“Kelly brings experience, history, and future thinking that only will benefit our schools,” Ms. Honig said. “I like what she says. I like what she is thinking about.
“Her knowledge of the brain is impressive. She is a Ph.D. She is an educator. She does special development. She works with schools.
“She has her kids. She is a volunteer at Lin Howe.
“She brings all of that to developing programs that benefit children, benefit students.
“That,” said Ms. Honig, “is the point to me.
“The best current example of what Kelly has done is at Lin Howe. She and several other parents saw the need for a Spanish enrichment program, they saw the interest, and they found a way to do it. They raised the money, they got the teachers
“They have made the program go,” Ms. Honig said, “and now everybody is excited.”
Before Dr. Kent’s campaign was launched last month, Ms. Honig did not know the candidate. City Councilmember Meghan Sahli-Wells, the candidate’s most enthusiastic booster, introduced them.
“I needed to know what Kelly was about,” said Ms. Honig, “and I have come to be a strong supporter. I can see her voice on the School Board.”
