I wish to say thank you for what appears to be equal presentation of all candidates with the recent letters to the editor. As the most available and influential medium for presenting readers with the candidate information we desire, I appreciate your recent letters supporting conservative individuals and views regarding some of the ballot initiatives.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform readers about one of the candidates that I have known since she was born. Kayla (Story) Patterson was brought up out here on the Westside of the county and learned her very strong work ethic from her family and all of their friends, myself included. Since her youngest days, she has been respectful, considerate and always willing to lend a helping hand. Quite frankly, it was expected behavior for all of us out here. Her father is a good friend of mine and I watched over the years as he raised her with proper core values including honesty, integrity, hard work and community service.

Through the years, I watched as she struggled to maintain a full time job and a full time course load in school, always having time to help someone in need on nights or weekends. Always the inquisitive one that wanted to learn more, she asked questions constantly to gain the best understanding of the situation or issue. And then she always had a good idea for a solution to improve the situation.

It is all the above-mentioned things that convince me that Kayla Patterson is the best candidate to represent us as a county commissioner. She understands the issues and the challenges facing La Plata County and she has practical and fiscally responsible ideas for solutions to meet those challenges. Patterson’s work ethics, honesty and integrity are exactly what this county needs as we navigate the turbulent waters ahead.

If it appears that I am biased towards my favorite candidate, it is because I am. You could not find a finer human being to represent us moving forward. Please vote for my friend Kayla Patterson.

Dan Huntington

Hesperus