To the editor:

I have known Duane Reif nearly my entire adult life, see him on nearly a daily basis, and am pleased to support him for Barton County Commissioner in District 1.

Duane has always been a man of integrity and honesty; commitment to his family and his community is without question. He has served as a City Councilman, volunteer firefighter and is one of the founders of Kans For Kids.

Duane’s character has never been called into question until he decided to run for Commissioner. The only knock on Duane is that, if elected, he would somehow have a conflict of interest because his sister is the head of the Barton County Health Department. Upon consultation with experts in that area, I have learned that it is not a conflict of interest because first and foremost, Duane would not have any sort of personal financial benefit by voting on the Health Department’s budget, personnel or anything else related to that county department.

Nevertheless, Duane is committed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest and should there ever be such an appearance, he would abstain from any discussion, debate and vote on that issue. That’s more than some can say when holding similar positions on our Commission over the years. That’s integrity, not politics or business as usual.

Vote Duane Reif on November 8th.

Mike Patton

Hoisington