11/03/2025
Please get out and vote Tuesday! Vote for HARDESTY! Vote for COOK! Vote for HAAG!
Dear Mentor Voters,
I started this campaign six months ago with a simple slogan: “Let’s Make School Board Meetings Boring Again.” In the subsequent months, I have met so many amazing Mentor residents who are concerned about our schools and are invested in moving forward. I recognize the many challenges, issues, and opportunities that exist in our district, but it still remains that our schools are our most important asset.
My wife and I chose to move our family to Mentor in 2019. We started our girls out in a Catholic school on the west side of Cleveland, a school and neighborhood we loved. It became clear as time went on that the school did not have the resources or inclination to provide the education we wanted for our girls. We researched school districts across NE Ohio and chose Mentor based on the district’s resources, IEP approach, and a wide variety of class choices. This was not the only reason we moved to Mentor, but it was the most important. The teachers and staff have been amazing, and our daughters are thriving – we are grateful.
I have witnessed the increasing dysfunction at the school board meetings. It is time for a change. We can no longer suffer group think, gotchas, and blind alliances – this isn’t a game, it’s our kids and our community, and we need board members who take the role seriously.
My focus will be on successful outcomes that benefit our students and the community at large while following the law and respecting every parent’s rights. I will represent, respond and respect all stakeholders while asking the same question on all business that comes before the board— “How does this help our schools move forward?” I will also rely heavily on data and research when making decisions, an uninformed board member is effectively useless.
I have earned a JD and worked in a corporate environment for over two decades, working in multiple roles, and in a leadership position for over a decade. I work with a leadership team with diverse outlooks, perspectives, and political beliefs and we work swimmingly together – that is what the board of education needs. The school board can and should run professionally, like any nonprofit or business board. My experience and education will inform my role and facilitate a culture of professionalism that can become, as it should be, a model of civic behavior for our students and community.
I know what I saw in Mentor as a potential community and what my family has gained from our time here, especially the education, experiences, and support my daughters have received through the schools. I want, as we all should, Mentor to remain a top option for young families looking for a place to raise their families. More than 84% of Mentor’s school age children attend public school – our schools are the single most important thing we can support and improve so that our kids grow into being civil, smart, and happy adults.
I will support the best parts of our schools, cooperatively implement needed changes, and be a champion for the great future for our district.
I will see you at the polls tomorrow, Tuesday November 4!
Less Drama, More Progress.
Let’s Make Board Meetings Boring Again,
Daniel Hardesty
