Iolas David Toland was deemed unfit by members of a Senate Commerce Committee as the next Secretary of Commerce.
They hung their hats on three reasons:
His public support for the expansion of Medicaid, his lack of experience in aviation and agriculture, and a picture of state Sen. Caryn Tyson.
Lets start with the most inane first.
Last year, a photo of state Sen. Tyson was positioned bedside in Thrive Allen Countys front room as part of National Sleep Month. Along with Tysons photo was one of former Gov. Sam Brownback. Both won by wide margins in Allen County.
For a week, various members of the community slept in the publicly positioned bed as a promotion for the hospitals sleep study program.
To further the hospitals campaign, their pictures were posted on social media, including one of Toland, then executive director of Thrive.
Up until now, no one, including Sen. Tyson, has taken issue with the use of the public officials photos in the sleep campaign.
On Thursday, however, Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, said the social media postings have been a public humiliation to Tyson. Shes just had to take it that her picture was used in that manner, Baumgardner said.
Mind you, the picture is the one Sen. Tyson continues to use in her campaign literature. Head slightly tilted, a pretty smile. Downright flattering.
The second argument against Toland was his lack of experience in aviation and agriculture, and that as such hes unable to work with those in such industries.
To date, Tolands talents have been devoted to growing healthy and prosperous urban and rural communities.
Before he returned home in 2007 to lead Thrive Allen County, Toland worked as an economic development planner for the city of Washington, D.C.
In 2017, Allen County was a Culture of Health Prize winner from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for its ability to turn the corner on health outcomes, precisely because of Thrives efforts in bringing the necessary forces together to build bike paths, restart farmers markets, build a new hospital, and locate a stand-alone grocery in Iola.
Did this rub some the wrong way? Undoubtedly.
