Salina Pulls in a Maverick

The Greater Salina Chamber of Commerce announced today that Sarah Palin will be the featured speaker at their annual banquet and membership meeting February 5, 2010.

"We are so pleased that Governor Sarah Palin has accepted our invitation to come to Salina as our keynote speaker for the Chamber's annual meeting," Daran Neuschafer, Chairman of the Chamber said. "Governor Palin was clearly identified as a top choice as speaker early in the process, and the event committee is thrilled that she'll be with us February."

The banquet will be held in the arena of the Bicentennial Center. Tickets for the event are $50 per person for Chamber members and $75 per person for non-members. Reservations can be made by Chamber members now through December 1 by stopping by the Chamber office, 120 W. Ash, calling the Chamber office, (785) 827-9301, or emailing scole@salinakansas.org.

Any bets of whether Palin will make an endorsement in the Senate primary or KS-01 or KS-04?

Alan Jilka for Congress: He's Bilingual!

We didn't think the Democrats would even find someone to run for Moran's seat. But former three-term Salina city commissioner and mayor Alan Jilka announced yesterday. Jilka's campaign manager - a Sebelius minion - used an interesting rationale for his candidacy: he's bilingual...and spent time in Latin America.

From the Salina Journal:

...And, he speaks Spanish

Jilka has hired as a campaign consultant Chris Cardinal of Lawrence. Cardinal, originally from Salina, worked on campaigns for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, as well as for groups such as the Kansas Health Care Association and the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy.

"I will say I know that Alan's going to be a really hard worker. He's going to run a grass roots campaign, he'll be visiting a lot of different areas and making sure he can connect with as many constituents as possible," Cardinal said Wednesday.

He said Jilka's city government experience will aid his candidacy, as will Jilka's interest and experience visiting and living in Latin American countries, and Jilka's fluency in Spanish.

"He will be able to communicate with quite a few (Hispanic) constituents with whom there may not have been as strong a connection by those representing them in the past," Cardinal said. FULL STORY