LaDon Linde Drumming

Michael Mitchell of AME -- Artistic Music Expression, left, and Yakima County Commissioner LaDon Linde perform at Yakima's 31st Juneteenth Celebration Saturday, June 18, 2022, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Yakima. The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when U.S. troops entered Galveston, Texas, and declared that the state's slaves were now free under the terms of the Emancipation Proclamation. Around 100 people attended the event at the park,which community activist Ester Huey said was celebrating inclusivity in the community.

To the editor — In this letter to the editor I’m going to attempt to expose the REAL LaDon Linde, currently running for re-election as county commissioner for District 3.

My wife and I lived next door to the Linde family for 20 years or so, and we’ve had the unique opportunity to get to know Mr. Linde (LaDon) on a “real-life” basis.

Fifty acres of his alfalfa separated us from our “next door neighbor” and every evening after working at the family dairy he would be out in the field moving irrigation.

One day a truck driver dumped an inappropriate amount of manure on the property line between us, and flies were driving us crazy. After one call to LaDon, he was there the next morning with a loader and corrected the situation. That’s probably the origin of the saying, “LaDon Linde does the right thing for the right reason, and isn’t just delivering a load of manure.”

Does he have the character to excel as a county commissioner? Absolutely. Should you vote for him? I probably know him better than most people and you should definitely join me in voting for him.

DOUGLAS K. BARNES

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