As a former friend and classmate of Dan Kelley, I must say I am incredibly disappointed in his actions of late. The Dan I knew in high school was good natured, open minded, ethical and respectful. Since he became a State Representative, however, his personality and ethics have completely flipped. When our classmates disagreed with him or his actions and debated politics with him on Facebook, he “unfriended” and “blocked” us. For someone who continuously professes to care about his constituents and who wants “to be your voice,” apparently that only applies to those who wholeheartedly agree with him.
When we were in high school, he used to defend the “little guy,” which is probably the reason he was our class president. Now, however, I am sincerely embarrassed that he represented us as a class. Although he currently swears that he is anti-bullying, Dan has become the bully to whom he purportedly “stands up.” What incensed me enough to write this letter is that Dan has recently engaged in making disparaging remarks about our county officials and Wes Breckenridge, who fairly and honorably beat Dan in a landslide. Instead of graciously accepting his enormous (and quite embarrassing) defeat, Dan is now sharing potentially slanderous Facebook posts that appear to be completely unsubstantiated.
Although I doubt even a sliver of a chance at continuing to be our representative exists, please quit being a crybaby throwing a tantrum, Dan, have a modicum of respect, and go back to being the nice guy you were in high school. We miss him.
Mary E. Van Elsen
Newton