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It’s not about politics, it’s about people

TOM BRYERTON JR.

Lamar

I recently read Wade Jodun is running for Congress.

Full disclosure: I’m a Republican. I don’t know much about Wade’s politics, but I do know Wade. I first met Wade in 1994 when he started volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

At the time, he was going to college all day, working third-shift for a newspaper, and volunteering with Fish and Wildlife Service.

I’m pretty sure between work, school, and volunteering, Wade logged 100 hours a week for 3 years. From 1994 and 1997, he volunteered over 4,000 hours, much of it waist deep in freezing water working with sturgeon or working with me in the summer to pour concrete and construct an annex for one of the hatchery’s large steel fish-rearing buildings. When his college classes ended in the spring, Wade coached and umpired Little League baseball.

Wade was eventually hired on by the Fish and Wildlife Service and I watched as he slowly made his way up the chain of command until he was in charge of all fish hatchery maintenance in the northeastern U.S. Over the years, I worked with Wade when our local hatchery in Lamar needed maintenance projects or suffered emergency water pump, generator or boiler failures.

Wade was always there and he always delivered. Yes, that’s right, Wade’s a biologist who ended up heading the maintenance and construction program for the northeastern U.S. As I told the supervisor who first hired Wade: “I don’t care if you’re digging ditches or splitting atoms, Wade’s the guy you want.

In 2007, as I was inspecting a standing seam metal roof, I lost my footing and fell 14 feet to the pavement below. I nearly lost my life. Wade set aside his work and drove 6 hours to be by my side.

After being stuck for months in the federal government’s nightmare of red tape and stupidity when workman’s comp refused to pay for my ambulance ride to the hospital, I called Wade for help.

He cut through the red tape and had the situation resolved in a matter of hours. Later, when I got stuck dealing with bureaucrats for over a month trying to resolve a mess between workman’s comp and my doctor concerning a surgery I needed in order to remove a pin from my elbow, Wade jumped in again and I was cleared for surgery in 2 hours. This is a guy who gets things done.

I also watched as Wade reported federal managers for fraud. I watched as the agency turned their sights on him. For 5 years, Wade stood his ground and did the right thing. He put his career on the line. Not many people would have done that.

I know I have always been able to depend on Wade when the chips were down. I know he’s a guy that can cut through red tape. I know he has the courage to do the right thing.

If I could pick one guy to have on my side when the deck is stacked against me, it would be Wade. I trust Wade and that’s a lot more than I can say for the current crop of politicians and lawyers screwing up this country.

I don’t care what political party they belong to, I just want someone who will fight to change things and fight for me.

I’m tired of politicians and tired of politics. So, come May, I’m voting for Wade.

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