Les Cochran, candidate for the Lee County School Board, will have two “meet and greet” receptions on Pine Island in February.

Long-time resident Dottie Muske will host the first event on Sunday, February 12. She will have an open house at her home on 3761 Gasparilla Street in St. James City, from 3:00 to 5:00pm. When asked about the event Dottie said, “I’m extremely excited about hosting the meet and greet. I’ve never done anything like this before. Several of my friends have agreed to help me out.”

Nancy Green, Sally Mollhagen, and Eileen and John Feldmann are serving as cohosts. “My high school classmate, Carol Stockman, is coming down from Michigan. It’ll be great to see her. Les is her son-in-law,” Dottie said.

“He had a wonderful career in higher education and retired as President of Youngstown State University. We need a strong leader like him. He’ll do a terrific job on our board.”

If you’re interested in meeting Les, residents are asked to call Dottie in advance at 239-283-3181

The second reception is planned for February 16th. Dr. Cochran will be speaking at a meet and greet coffee at Alden Pines Country Club at 14261 Clubhouse Drive in Bokeelia. The event is scheduled for 4:00 to 6:00pm and the public is welcome.

In his announcement, Cochran stressed that our schools don’t need more money. “We’re 11th in funding and 40th in state ACT test scores. We must invest more in the classroom.” When asked about changes he said, “Lee County spends double the state average per student on transportation. Our administrative costs are too high. Those are dollars that could be spent on kids. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be one of the top ten school districts in the state.”