To the editor:

Because I was mentioned in Joe Zelle’s recent letter to the editor, I felt the need to respond.

While Mr. Zelle is entitled to his own opinions, he is not entitled to his own facts.

To say that Rep. Marsha Haefner “hasn’t accomplished much, if anything,” can be disproved with a simple Google search.

You will see that she has sponsored a number of bills that make Missouri better, saved the state tens of millions of dollars by tirelessly going over the budget line by line, and has figured out how to get millions of additional tax revenue in the budget without raising personal taxes by a penny.

She has been recognized for her work both nationally and locally, including high praise from both BJC and Cardinal Glennon.

Her mission to protect our most vulnerable citizens has led to numerous awards. There is not enough space in the editorial page to list all of her accolades.

Rep. Haefner has led this district admirably since she has been elected, and her achievements have also been recognized by her peers in the Missouri Legislature.

She is the only representative in the St. Louis metro area to have a leadership position. If you don’t like her politics, fine, but to distort and diminish her achievements is just wrong.

Also, just to clear something up: While my mother and I disagree on many things, the Mehlville School District’s Prop R was not one of them. I would have never attached our last name to furthering the efforts of Prop R without her blessing.

I have many flaws, but I respect my parents, and they taught me how important public schools are to our community.