Ortiz for State House By Wayne Phillips November 01, 2014
I would have been quite happy to go to the election booth on November 4th and quietly cast my ballot for Independent candidate Dan Ortiz as my choice for Representative for State House District 36. I write this letter of endorsement as a private Ketchikan citizen for one main reason; I am tired of partisan politics and recent petty letters to the editor. Dan Ortiz is a man of integrity. When did it become a sin to vote one’s conscience instead of the party line? It takes a man of resolve and character to do so. It also takes a free thinker. I, for one, am tired of robotic politics in which everyone goose steps along their party line and no one can reach across the aisle without experiencing retribution. I believe Dan will reach across party lines successfully for the greater good and will truly represent citizens of House District 36. To publicly label and go after one’s brother smacks of jealousy not concern for others. A loving brother would privately disagree with their sibling, not maliciously attack them in public under the guise of political concern. Seattle based opinions would best be left there. Being a brother to Dan and graduating from Ketchikan High School forty years ago does not make one a “Dan Ortiz political expert” or a Ketchikan expert for that matter. Yes, Dan voted for Barrack Obama, I imagine so did other Republicans and Independents and Libertarians. That was their choice in this free society and democracy. It is also their choice to keep their political choices private or reveal them as they see fit. I call this being Independent not Liberal. In a sit down meeting with Dan, he told me that he voted for Barrack Obama. This was not how I marked my ballot, but Dan was honest, open and up front. I found this to be refreshing for a change and not just canned political BS. I know Dan to be very conservative on personal and political issues. Do I agree on every point with Dan? Absolutely not, nor do I agree with Republicans on every issue or point. Another out-of-state opinion is no more palatable than the likes of the myriad of political ads, mailers, phone messages and money that is being poured in by outside interests. The assertion was made that Dan Ortiz worked only as a teacher, the statement “Dan has never run a business, made a payroll, nor has he earned his living outside public education.” Anyone who knows Dan, knows he worked driving tour buses, painting houses, worked at the pulp mill, fished commercially, I call that hard work and putting family first! Many teachers work summers outside their profession to supplement their incomes and Dan was no different. So, saying only people that run businesses are somehow fit for public office? How crass and inaccurate. Dan was entrusted to teach the youth of Ketchikan for thirty years, but a letter-writer asserts he is not good enough to be a politician. I say he is probably too good to be a politician, but he is willing to do so for the betterment of Alaska and his constituency. Wayne Phillips About: "Patriot, Veteran, Alaskan, Republican (in that order)" Received October 31, 2014 - Published November 01, 2014
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