Letter to the Editor: Dean Thompson has been an effective Supervisor

Dean Thompson

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by Greg Torgrim of Decorah):

I am writing this letter in support of all elected officials on our current Board of Supervisors, including John Logsdon, Mark Kuhn and specifically, Supervisor Dean Thompson.  I have served as chief deputy of the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office for the past 15 years, and during my career, have spent a great deal of time in the board room.  I have never worked with a more cohesive and effective board. 

Our current Board of Supervisors has achieved what so few boards are able to do:  keep politics out of their decision making.  They work together for the common good of Winneshiek County.  They rise above their differences in opinion to make sound, responsible decisions. 

It is true that Dean's opponent, Les Askelson, served on the Board of Supervisors for 20+ years; however, during his tenure, we did not enjoy the level of professionalism we do today. Rather, when the Board was under the direction of Les Askelson, it was riddled with divisiveness, hypocrisy, ego and partisanship. It was because of this ineffective leadership that Dean Thompson unseated Les Askelson from his position four years ago. 

Les Askelson's accounts of his years in office are not consistent with the reality of how things actually were. It would be a shame to once again bring Les' style of governing back into our county board room. On the other hand, Dean Thompson has proven to govern under this driving principle:  to make researched, informed decisions to ensure Winneshiek County continues to be a prosperous and sustainable county to live, work and raise a family.
 
Although I have been a life-long Republican and plan to vote for Republican candidates this election, I strongly encourage fellow Republicans in District 3 to do a cross-over vote and re-elect Dean Thompson as our county supervisor.