A man of many sides

ROYAL CITY - Tom Dent has been a rodeo cowboy, a pilot and a business man. Now he wants to be the 13th District representative in the state house of representatives.

"Whether in the air or on the ground, I am living a dream," he said.

Dent is running because he believes there is a disconnect between the 13th district and Olympia. He believes the district needs people in office who understand the root causes of issues and have real experience in problem solving.

"I have been in the aviation business for over 30 years, as well as in the ranching industry for over 20 years," he said. "I know my way around the legislative process, having written legislation and had it passed into law."

Dent's campaign activities have included doorbelling, getting signs out and meeting with various industry organizations and civic groups.

"We have been blessed with successful fund raising and endorsements from people in all walks of life," he said. "I am very lucky to have such a motivated group working on my campaign."

Dent has worked with various industry groups, such as Farm Bureau, Cattle producers of Washington, Association of Washington Aerial Applicators and others in Olympia to advance legislation for the benefit of the industry or to ward off legislation that could have a detrimental effect.

As a member and board member of the Association of Washington Business, Dent has had the opportunity to work around the Legislature. He is the chairman for AWB's aviation committee.

Dent became chairman of the Grant County Republican Central Committee in 2002. At that time the committee was relatively small, with 17 precinct committee officers out of 65 precincts and a mailing list of 35.

The officers and a few volunteers did all of the work. Two people were responsible for manning the fair building during the Grant County Fair.

"They told me they would continue only if they had help, and so I began the project of recruitment," Dent said. "I was able to recruit more than enough volunteers for the fair, and volunteer recruitment became a never ending program."

The first committee Dent created expanded the by-laws to include many new committees and created new positions such as district chairs. He also created a candidate committee to not only recruit candidates for public office but screen the candidates to be certain they were true Republicans.

During Dent's tenure as the Grant County Chair, the filled PCO positions grew to 62, and the mailing list increased to 3500.

Dent is a long-time Columbia Basin resident. He moved to Othello in 1955 at the age of five. The early years in Othello were an adventure. There was no pavement on the streets.

"When the wind blew, the house across the street would disappear," he said. "I truly watched the desert bloom growing up."

Dent attended college for a time after high school but was overcome by a burning desire to pursue his childhood dream of rodeo. He followed the rodeo trail for several years riding bareback horses, doing wild horse racing and occasionally riding Bulls.

Dent also became an over the road truck driver, traveling solo to points all over the western United States at 19 years of age. He also spent time working as a cowboy on various ranches in eastern Washington.

Dent began his flight training in 1975 and became an employed professional pilot in 1976. His early aviation career was that of a corporate pilot. In 1977 he started Tom Dent Aviation as a flight school and pilot service company, while maintaining employment as a corporate pilot, and filling in as a crop-duster as time allowed.

In 1982, Dent moved to Moses Lake, to work as a spray pilot. He started his own crop-dusting company under the banner of Tom Dent Aviation in 1984.

Dent can't remember not having a few cows, but in 1992 he began to pursue the cattle business in a more serious manner, eventually forming Flying T Ranch. The ranch runs approximately 50 mother beef cows and sells grass fed beef. It also runs 10 head of Buffalo cows and sells Buffalo meat.

Dent, his wife Dayna and son Monty live on the ranch. The rest of the family is a bit spread out, with daughter Aron living in Seattle and daughter Teresa living in Okanogan.