Seven Locks community shows citizens can fight and win

The community victory over the Montgomery County Board of Education taught a lot of lessons to Seven Locks kids, parents and neighbors, a guest column in the Washington Post explains.

In his piece piece expressing the views of the successful Save Seven Locks School Coalition, Seven Locks dad Jay M. Weinstein writes:

"1) You can take on City Hall and win, even against the greatest odds. But you need lots of people -- persistent people, diligent people, irrepressible people. We were lucky, but as they say, luck is the residue of hard work.

"2) Although everyone has an opinion about presidents and governors, even the most conscientious citizens have no clue whom to vote for in county and school board elections.

"The paradox is, decisions by local officials are infinitely more likely to directly affect voters than anything George W. Bush does.

"3) Government officials must remember that constituents are not their enemies; they are their friends. They cannot assume the competence, fairness or honesty of other governmental agencies when challenged by respectable citizens."