Vancouver resident Dmitriy Cherchenko explains the support in the Slavic community for  District 2 candidate Michelle Belkot

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

There are many ways to carve up a population in demographic terms, but we find especially striking results when surveying the values of Slavic people in Clark County. This demographic comprises immigrants and descendants of Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Slovak, Bulgarian, and related groups. Despite the rich diversity within the Slavic community, we have far more agreement than disagreement among each other — more uniformity in values than other ethnic groups seem to have. And it is thoroughly refreshing to have a real champion for our values stepping up to serve as a member of the Clark County Council in District 2: Michelle Belkot.

On education, an exceedingly hot topic for the many parents I’ve spoken to recently, some of whom are moving to other states primarily due to concerns around this issue, Michelle has always advocated for the rights of parents and has said she believes that parents generally know what’s best for their children. Had our local officials followed Michelle’s advice throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, schools would have stayed open for in-person instruction, and, as it has become clear, kids would now have been far better off as a result. Most students would have never had to wear masks as students and parents in our region here have been vocally against masks for children. As a proponent of medical freedom and medical choice, Michelle stands out as the one candidate for County Councilor for District 2 who is clearly on the side of parents when it comes to pandemic-related policies.

And had local officials followed Michelle’s advice, schools would have raised standards on the subjects that really matter rather than the gradually injecting more of the kind of content around sexual education, LGBT ideology, and race that so many Slavic mothers and fathers find abhorrent. I have spoken with Michelle enough to see how genuinely and deeply she aligns with the Slavic community on education issues.

On homelessness, Michelle proposes to address the problem the (sensible) way that nearly every local Slavic person I know supports: address the root causes of addiction and drugs and teach self-reliance. We have compassion for the homeless, and we love to help in ways that we can. But we cannot tolerate complacency and the proliferation of unsafe and unsanitary encampments. I am convinced that Michelle has the practical know-how to tackle the homelessness problem effectively.

Finally, we have been feeling the rise in crime in our community. We feel that new leadership is needed — leadership that will support rather than demonize our law enforcement. Many of us of the local Slavic community remember or have parents who remember how police were hated back in the countries we’re from, and though the big issue there was corruption, the effect is disturbingly similar. The way law enforcement worked in the United States was such a relief to people immigrating here. We must do everything to not lose this magic, and it would be a tragedy to have our children grow up being told that police officers are not great people who are here for us and can be trusted. It is clear that Michelle will help fix this cultural degradation and promote law enforcement as a respected, vital component of our community.

I am therefore pleased to support Michelle Belkot for the Clark County Council, District 2 position and encourage all those who love this country and would like to be part of bringing back the beautiful values that made this country great to vote for her.

Dmitriy Cherchenko
Vancouver