Recently, a longtime Fairfield resident completed a noteworthy period of service to his community.

In December, Stew Kinley completed his two-plus decades of service as a board member of School Administrative District 49. During his service he attended more than 400 board meetings, countless committee meetings, and helped to guide the district in its goal of providing the best education possible to thousands of students.

Kinley’s thoughtful and measured ideas and opinions have often resolved contentious issues both on the board and in the community. He is the kind of man that would engage in debate like a gentleman, and when the debate was over, everyone was still his friend. I saw firsthand the kind of friend that he is when I saw him sit vigil for several days with a friend in hospice care.

SAD 49 will suffer for a time with the loss of institutional knowledge, intellect, and friendship of Stew Kinley.

Ron Liberty

Benton