Letter: Vote Allen Pomraning for state representative

I met Allen Pomraning a few years ago at the Walla Walla University Engineers Without Borders annual fundraiser. I was a member of a project team raising money for a water system in Peru.

Allen volunteered his skills as a certified auctioneer (there is a certification for that, and yes, our Walla Walla mayor is certified). That night our fundraiser broke an all-time record, with Allen pulling in enough money to improve the living standards of people he would never meet.

I wondered why he was helping us.

Both of us being engineers, we stayed in contact. Allen and his wife, Deborah, opened their home to me, and over time I have learned the answer to my question, which is not a question to Allen. In Allen’s world, when you are qualified, you help.

Allen is qualified and has helped change the Walla Walla Valley in a very obvious and positive way with a career in the Army Corps of Engineers, as a City Council member, and as mayor. As state representative the success this valley has seen these last few years will be magnified.

We are responsible for sending our best to Olympia, and Allen Pomraning is our best.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 1:48 AM with the headline "Letter: Vote Allen Pomraning for state representative."