To The Editor,

Mike Talbott cares about our community and he has dem­onstrated his concern through his many years, past and pres­ent of community service and involvement. His work experi­ence and board leadership has given him the tools to serve us extremely well as County Com­missioner.

Mike, a fiscally conservative Republican has served on the Dayton School Board for 17 years where he was chairman of the board several times. He has owned and operated a success­ful farming operation for many years and represented many of us farmers and landowners on the

Columbia County Grain Growers Board where he was also chairman of that board. Keep in mind these are volun­teer boards that review, set and approve multimillion dollar budgets.

Mike is concerned about economic development for our county and will work hard to help our local businesses continue to be successful. He has owned and operated a local business on Main Street with his wife Chrissy, "The Jewelry Box." Mike presently serves on the County Planning Com­mission, has coached AAU basketball for many years, has supported the County Fair and has volunteered at the TVAC theater.

In looking at Tom Bensel's resume from his brochure and listening to him at the Can­didate's Forum he lacks the experience to serve as County Commissioner. A County Commissioner must estab­lish and approve budgets and policy, work closely with the other Commissioners, listen to community concerns, all at the highest level. In my opinion, Tom's association affiliation and work experience lack many of the requirements to be a qualified candidate. I was disappointed with the informa­tion he presented at the forum which gave very little insight of his commitment to our com­munity, his leadership skills and his goals as commissioner.

Mike has a proven record of dedication to our community. He already possesses the skills and experience we need from our next commissioner. He is fair and trustworthy. He will ask for your input and respect your opinion.

Please join me in support­ing Mike Talbott for Columbia County Commissioner.

Jay Takemura

Dayton