I have known Joel Peterson for over 30 years. Joel was born and raised in Morrow County. He operates a dryland farm near Ione, has irrigated land in the county and has raised cattle as well.

His farming and ranching activities give him firsthand knowledge relating to the ag economy of our region. Joel’s leadership has served many organizations well. The long list includes community and ag industry boards and committees along with 16 years serving on the Morrow County Planning Commission. Joel is a valued board member for a community bank that originated in, and remains, a Morrow County fixture.

Public service comes naturally to Joel. His grandfather, Oscar Peterson, was a Morrow County judge and founding member of the Port of Morrow. Joel is a thoughtful, objective, fair and honest person who cares about the residents of Morrow County. He will be an excellent county commissioner who understands the needs and diversity of all of Morrow County.

When you get your ballot in the mail at the end of April, mark it in favor of Joel Peterson. You will be glad you did.

Gary Neal

Retired Port of Morrow manager

Clarkston, Washington

The East Oregonian will not run candidate endorsement letters of more than 400 words.

The East Oregonian will institute a deadline for letters to the editor, so we can be fair with all the letters we receive and allow for responses before Election Day, if necessary.

We run the letters on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please submit your endorsement letters to the editor by noon Wednesday, April 22. You can email them to editor@eastoregonian.com, or mail them to East Oregonian, c/o Andrew Cutler, 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, 97801.

We will publish our last letters on Saturday, April 25. Any letters received after the deadline will not run. Election Day is May 19.