Elected Experience

Christmas Dinner, Boucher family, many terms; Head of the Chuck Line, Boucher Family Reunion

Other Professional Experience

Raised on a cattle ranch outside Colorado Springs, where it got colder'n snort and a hot bowl of something was the only reason to come in; Ranch hand, coal bucket division; Stood by on a lot of long days measuring rivers for the U.S. Geological Survey out of Pasco, and never once fell in the pot

Education

Engineering, Colorado A&M, which mostly taught me how water moves, and soup is mostly water

Community Service

Sunday dinners, church kitchens, and anyplace somebody needs feeding; Christmas visits to the folks in the Tri-Cities jails, where you'd be surprised how far a pot of beans goes; Loaned out my ladle more times than I can count and got it back about half of those

Statement

Howdy. I'll keep this short, because the soup's on.

I came to the Tri-Cities by way of Gramma and Grampa Boucher, who brought me to the table after a long day of chasing the Columbia River around with a measuring stick. Now, I start out simple: black beans, a whole lot of onion, some garlic, a little cumin. That's where the simple part ends. In this family, folks put all kinds of things in me. Rice. Eggs. Sausage. Chiles. Peppers. Some years, a little Ham, if you can believe it. I'm a big tent. Every Christmas somebody shows up with a new idea, and nobody has ever once said no.

Grampa told Gramma when they were courting that they ought to have "just gobs of fun." Gramma heard "just gobs of stuff," and that's been my platform ever since.

If you ever asked Gramma how much of something to put in, she'd tell you "about as much as you think." That's still the recipe. It's also my position on cheese. Some of my strongest supporters take their soup about half cheese. I respect that. At that point it's more of a cheese with a bean problem, but a vote's a vote.

Now, my opponents have run spirited campaigns, and I've got nothing against either of them. Ham's a good fella. A little loud. Somebody ought to check on him. And the Enchiladas are about the best thing that ever came out of a pan, and I'd shake their hand if I had one.

To my friends in the Never Onions movement: for cryin' in a bucket, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm mostly onion. But I'm the only candidate on this ballot who'll let you pile so much other stuff on top that you can't find 'em.

I believe it was Saint Francis who said, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use soup." I'd rather just feed you than talk about it.

So come on in. Wipe your boots. Grab a bowl and put in about as much as you think. And if you get a minute on the way out, I'd sure appreciate your vote.