The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Dear Editor: I would like to voice my support for Mark Franklin for sheriff. I do so for two reasons. First, I believe Mark is the best qualified by a mile. He has the background, education, experience and professionalism needed go­ing

into the second decade of a very dangerous and compli­cated world. Columbia County may be a small, rural county now, but it is going to grow by leaps and bounds. There is an im­measurable push from the south to the north that will bring many people and many problems. When the reces­sion winds down there will be all kinds of growth and development. We, therefore, must have a sheriff who will be prepared and train his deputies to effectively handle it all. Second, while Mark has, on many occasions, shown his concern for his fellow man and citizens of Co­lumbia County, our current sheriff has demonstrated an insensitivity and lack of concern and respect for the welfare of those he has sworn to protect.

As an 80-year-old senior citizen, I am particularly concerned with the newly introduced city ordinance, proposed by Sheriff Hessler, that would allow unlicensed, uninsured, unsafe, noisy, and dirty off-road vehicles (ORVs) and dirt bikes to run through the streets of Dayton. This is exactly what we do not need: unlimited numbers, perhaps hundreds, of these contraptions running through our town and endangering life and limb. What kind of thinking is this?

According to Mark Frank­lin, who is against this pro­posed law, we do not have the deputy manpower to police all the ORV traffic that will become a very big problem. That means our taxes will go up to hire new deputies, and our lives, and property values, will be greatly dimin­ished. Therefore, I am voting for Mark Franklin for sheriff, and I urge others to do the same. As a friend of mine says "the barbarians are at the gate." We need a strong sheriff, and safe environment to enjoy life here in Dayton.