Letter to the Editor:

A couple of weeks ago, about 30 representatives from charitable foundations in several states came to Dayton for a presentation by community leaders. The presentation was about how Dayton has transformed its downtown in the past 25 years. The bottom line in the presentation was that we were successful because the entities and agencies in our community were able to work together and get the funding necessary to com- plete this transformation.

As budgets get squeezed, it will be important that we continue to work together to keep our county viable. I feel to this end that Mike Talbott would be a good choice for county commissioner. He is active with several local organizations including the Columbia County Grain Growers, Dayton School Board and the Columbia County Planning Commission. He is also involved with the Norgaard Trust and the Columbia County Dayton Fund, both of which provide funds that help residents of our county. Mike is involved in our community and wants it to remain a great place to live. He has the ability to work with others to make things happen. I hope you will consider Mike Talbott when making your decision as to who you would like as your next county commis- sioner.

Norm Passmore

Dayton