The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Dear Editor,

In November, Columbia County voters will elect a county commissioner for District 3. Outside of politics (since this is not a partisan position and decisions taken by our commissioners do not involve political viewpoints), how do we decide who is the best qualified?

The most important part of being a county commissioner is approving the county budget and overseeing its spending across every department in the county. Without a background or knowledge of accounting, this would be almost impossible to understand, let alone manage. We have one candidate who received his bachelor’s degree in Economics, was a college faculty member in business administration, and has successfully run his family’s farm for many years - managing leases, working with tenants, and buying and selling his farm’s crops. THAT CANDIDATE IS DAIN NYSOE.

Arguably, the most difficult part of the job besides the budget is dealing with the public and the various department heads. It is important to have good communication skills and having a background in working with the public. We have one candidate whose background includes a Master’s degree in Public Administration, marketing director for Kitsap Co. Parks Department, member of the Kitsap Co. Board of Equalization (listening to appeals of disputed tax assessments), President of the Kitsap Mental Health Services non-profit organization, President of Kitsap Mental Health Services Foundation, chamber director for the City of Bremerton, and most recently, current and active member of the Dayton City Council for seven years. THAT CANDIDATE IS DAIN NYSOE.

To sum up, the needed skills for being a qualified county commission are having a successful background in business, good communication skills, being open minded, and having a background with working with the public. More than anything, we have ONLY ONE qualified candidate who meets these requirements. AND THAT CANDIDATE IS DAIN NYSOE.

Why would anyone settle for anything but the best qualified candidate to manage our county finances? I know I won’t. Please join me in voting for DAIN NYSOE, Columbia County Commissioner.

Genie Crowe

Dayton