Rick Donahoe is a community treasure. Long before he was appointed to the Richland School Board, he was an active volunteer in many capacities: high school and middle school science and psychology classrooms, teaching/coaching students, and sometimes their parents, as they learned to design and build sets, always showing kids the face of an adult who enjoyed spending time with them solving real world problems.

Three Donahoe children graduated from Hanford. In those years, Rick and Deb had the most generous open door policy, welcoming any kid who needed to drop by for a refrigerator raid, a bed for the night, or an ear to listen. It was amazing. And those young people remain devoted to Rick to this day. With Donahoes, friends remain friends forever. And if there is a need, they're there for us.

This is by way of saying, the kind, open-minded, non-judgemental Rick Donahoe, is one of the community's great bridge builders. There is no anger, there is only honest curiosity about differences of opinion.

He always seeks more information if there is a disagreement, yet often seems most able to bring two sides to some kind of accord. He's a wonder. Please vote for him.

Peggy Painter, West Richland