HopNews
Dear Editor,
As Hopkinton voters prepare for next week’s election, residents should carefully examine the public record of School Committee candidate Sravana Krishna. Ask yourself whether his conduct reflects the temperament required to represent the entire community.
This concern is not based on rumor or anonymous social media gossip. It is based on Krishna’s own public comments and documented interactions. They can be referenced in prior coverage and Letters to the Editor on HopNews: Importance of Conduct in School Committee Elections
That letter highlighted repeated instances in which Krishna referred to residents as “obsessive,” dismissed critics as “triggered,” and responded to concerns about civility with sarcastic comments such as “Please don’t cry … Love ya!” These were not isolated slips. They reflected a broader pattern of ridicule and antagonistic engagement toward fellow residents expressing differing viewpoints.
Even HopNews itself noted that Krishna’s access to its social media and comment platforms had previously been restricted under its civility and moderation policies.
Related: LTE: Why No Election Coverage?
Editor: We were not familiar with Sravan Krishna. Although the previous owner had banned him, we chose to reinstate his commenting privileges under our “trust but verify” approach. Within weeks, however, he began attacking other readers. Personal attacks are not permitted on HopNews—no exceptions. See our policy here.
School Committee members are entrusted with overseeing one of the most important institutions in town. They must represent all families, not just those who share their political ideology.
Yet Krishna has repeatedly framed himself in explicitly partisan terms, publicly aligning himself through strongly anti-Republican, anti-conservative, and anti-MAGA rhetoric while receiving support from the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee (HDTC).
That is especially troubling given that Hopkinton voters recently supported efforts to remove partisan politics from municipal elections. Residents made clear they did not want national political tribalism injected into local governance.
This is not a Democrat or Republican Issue
A School Committee seat should not become a vehicle for ideological activism or political score-settling. Parents and taxpayers across the political spectrum deserve to know their voices will be heard respectfully, regardless of party affiliation or viewpoint.
At issue is whether a candidate can demonstrate the maturity, restraint, and openness necessary to govern fairly in a politically diverse community.
Public service requires the ability to disagree without belittling, mocking, or dismissing others. Hopkinton voters should decide whether Sravana Krishna has demonstrated that standard.
Cyberbully: Someone who uses phones, social media, or other digital tools to harass, threaten, or embarrass others online.
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HopNews. Letters may be edited for clarity, grammar, and length.
See my comment under Joe Clark’s letter supporting Sandra.
The town of Hopkinton has chosen not to be a D Or R community candidate content of character should be at forefront. Criticism of policy and elected officials is good for our community. Harmful hate is not. Good dialogue with different views is always good. If all people agree on all issues we are doomed as a society.
Agreed.
Completely agree with you Daniel. I hope everyone carefully researches the candidates before casting their vote on the 18th. Is your chosen candidate representative of the values that we, as a community, want to see in our school and on the Hopkinton School Committee? In my opinion, listening to opposing opinions and engaging in respectful, constructive dialogue is mandatory for this role.
Kristen there is no Daniel Whitaker who has ever lived in this town. I checked w town hall. No Daniel Whitaker has ever voted or paid taxes in this town. This is a fake letter
The statement that this is a fake letter is very concerning. How are submissions verified?
Regardless of the authorship of this letter, I saw Mr. Krishna’s demeaning, sarcastic and childish comments first hand on HopNews and in the Independent. No rumors or innuendo here, his words speak for themselves.
He’s a bad man. Just google him and what he did in Southlake, Texas.
Sorry he moved and is now terrorizing your community.
Doesn’t matter who wrote it, take 30 seconds (that’s all it will take) to research Krishna, you will find that every word in this letter is TRUE. Antagonizing, sarcastic, condescending, belittling. His behavior is unacceptable.
He is formally from Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. Comments, he made here make the ones reference in this article look mild. If he ever raises his head again there, I’d be happy to supply screenshots.
The HDTC will likely spin this as a smear campaign, but it’s simply a reminder for voters to research the candidates before they vote on Monday. Reading his past comments was eye-opening, and voters deserve to know the facts.
However, the real challenge is low turnout when there are no major budget questions on the ballot. Please vote this Monday, May 18, and remind your neighbors to do the same.
Well said, Daniel
Last thing we need is another nutty liberal that can’t control their public conduct on the school committee. He does not have my vote.
There are plenty of “nutty” conservatives, too! All public officials need to check themselves but that’s neither here nor there. The ideal candidate for the SC should be stable with a flexible and balanced approach to weigh discussions objectively keeping our students at the center of every decision they make.
I commented this link under a LTE supporting Krishna on Hopkinton Independent’s site, but they chose not to post it. You can read his questionable comments here.
https://hopkintonindependent.com/letter-to-the-editor-school-committee-comment-inappropriate/
Thank you, BEM,
It’s important for voters to see candidates as they are, not a sanitized version.
HopNews fully supports the Hopkinton Independent’s decisions regarding which comments they accept. However, the comments that followed that Letter to the Editor in the Independent would not have met HopNews’s standards.
In fact, Mr. Krishna’s comments — posted on both HopNews and the Independent — are what prompted us to formalize our comments and letters policy: hopnews.com/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor
I do wonder why the Real Daniel Whitaker won’t stand up? There has never been a Daniel Whitaker who has ever lived in town. Never registered to vote. Never paid taxes in town. So where did this writing really come from? Seems to me someone is hiding behind this false writing.
Beth it’s interesting your response is not “those claims are false,” but instead “who wrote it?”
That kind of reaction is exactly why some residents choose to speak anonymously in local politics. People should be able to raise concerns without immediately becoming the target of personal attacks, speculation, or intimidation.
The fixation on who wrote it instead of the substance of what was written is a bit much.
Beth, the fact that you’re not willing to address the crux of this letter, but instead fixate on whether the author is legit or not, says everything we need to know about Krishna; it doesn’t exactly help his reputation whatsoever. You’re fueling speculation is what you’re doing. You’re literally forcing people to do their research because no one trusts HDTC vetting anymore.
Beth and Kayla — When we receive a letter to the editor, we verify it meets our (published) standards (https://hopnews.com/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor/) before publishing. We have addressed the question of anonymous submissions many times — the reasoning is explained in those same rules.
I’d also ask why you’re singling out Daniel’s letter, which is accurate and cites published sources, while raising no concerns about the other commenters on this very post — Anonymous, RosesR, AS, BEM, and Paula Less. Daniel may not be his real name. Neither, I’d wager, is Anonymous.
LOL, Whomever, She/He hit the nail on the head!