When I look at voting for candidates for political office I first ask:
Are they part of the real world? Have they worked for someone else their entire career and had a salary and benefits? Or have they had the real life trials of running their own business and making ends meet on their own? In addition I look at experience. Do they have 10 years or 30 years? Then comes education, family life, community service, and perhaps the plus of some previous political service. I first met Perry Dozier when I was the service manager of an ag equipment dealership in Walla Walla. Perry used our combines and tractors and I had the opportunity to help with repairs and get to know him via our business relationship. I can testify that my business exposure to Perry cemented what has become a permanent friendship. Perry was a Walla Walla County commissioner at the time facing budget woes and proved to me that he was a fiscal conservative. I would call him about a broken tractor to hear that he had a commission meeting in a few minutes. I learned how much time he spent and his commitment to his elected office. We often spoke about how it was just a "break-even" proposition for him to serve as a commissioner as he had to hire additional farm help to cover his absence. Perry has more real-world experience than the other candidates running for the Senate position and has a proven track record as a fiscal conservative. He is a life-long county resident and knows what goes on here. His political experience makes him ready to be effective in Olympia. He is well educated and has served his community in numerous ways. I see him sitting in the pew at my church with his wife and with his sons when they are in town. I have nothing bad to say about his opponents: He is just the superior choice and has the necessary real-world experience and character to do a better job. He has my vote and I suggest that he should have yours. Bruce W. Johnson Walla Walla