Letter: Re-elect Brad Peck as Franklin County commissioner

Politicians duck, dodge and hide from tough issues and hard questions — while seizing every opportunity to shake hands and kiss babies when cameras are present.

One can separate leaders and genuine public servants from politicians by the degree of competence and selflessness they exhibit in carrying out their duties.

In recent years, I have observed Franklin County Commissioner Brad Peck take on very challenging issues facing the county — issues not undertaken beforehand — and solve them.

Few residents realize he wrote county legislation correcting a century of ineffective land use ordinances crippling the county’s cattle industry.

Not many people know he vigorously fought federal government efforts to avoid best available science and list the White Bluffs Bladderpod plant as an endangered species in our county; a listing with potentially devastating repercussions to agriculture.

Likewise, few people are cognizant that he engaged the Army Corps of Engineers preserving property owners’ access to the Columbia and Snake river shorelines.

You might not notice these accomplishments because Brad Peck doesn’t go around waving his own flag. In Brad Peck, we have a very intelligent, politically courageous and extremely effective county commissioner. Please join me in voting for Brad Peck.

This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 4:03 AM with the headline "Letter: Re-elect Brad Peck as Franklin County commissioner."