Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
After less than two years living in Rosalia, 24 year old Brady Kiesz decided it was home enough to do his part to better the town. Brady threw his hat into the ring for the position of Rosalia mayor.
“I said if we’re going to be here for the long-haul…why not make that investment into the community,” he recalled.
Kiesz lost the race by a small margin, but hasn’t let that deter him.
“The experience was like none that I have ever done before,” he said. “Talking with people really opened up my perception on hot button issues and shed some light on other issues I hadn’t even thought of. The hardball questions also kept me on my toes but helped reaffirm my decision process.”
Brady lives in Rosalia with wife Kelley Ann, daughter of Kelley and Roberta Messinger, Rosalia. A native of Ritzville, Brady attended Washington State University where he earned a degree in agriculture technology and management with a minor in business. While going to school and dating Kelley Ann, he started to help out with her parents’ business, K & S Engineering. From helping out he moved up to part time and now works full time as general manager, overseeing various operations of their different businesses, including Cyclops Distributing and KLR650.com, both of which supply the dealer network and public with after market motorcycle parts and accessories.
Brady wears many hats in the business; his job description differing depending on what day it is, he said.
“I’ve had the chance to work with a lot of wonderful people over these past few years and hope to continue those relationships.”
Since coming to Rosalia, Brady has been an active member in the community. He is currently the vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce and was the chair of the Horizon Group in Rosalia.
He is also active in the Motorcycle Rally Association. The association took over management of the Rosalia Motorcycle Rally last year and put together this year’s rally which was August 14 and 15 at the city park.
Brady does more with motorcycles than work with them. He goes with father-in-law “Big Kelley” on his motorcycle group tours. Last year they rode the Trans-American trail. Brady and Kelley rode the portion of the trail from Colorado to the West Coast and then came up the coast back home.
A past trip had them north of the Arctic Circle. They have also done a tour down the Continental Divide from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. That whole ride was done on back roads and forest service roads. Brady said as far as he knows, he and Big Kelley were the first to do that whole trip with sidecars attached to their bikes.
In his free time, Brady pursues a life-long passion by working on getting his pilot’s license for helicopters.
“I’ve always wanted to fly,” he said. His goal started out as just wanting to fly airplanes. During their honeymoon in Hawaii, he and Kelley Ann took a helicopter ride and he decided that was the kind of bird he wanted to fly. For now it is just a hobby and he does not have any plans to make a job out of flying.
“As far as running for office again, I will defiantly consider the idea if the opportunity presents itself like it did this last time around.”
Brady admitted that he loves to cook. When he was young he spent a lot of time in the kitchen with this mother and he still likes being there.
“It’s a stress reliever,” he commented. The downside is that he doesn’t like doing dishes and neither does Kelley Ann. Brady said that sometimes who does the dishes is a battleground in their house.
Recipes:
Eggs Lorraine
Spray a 1.5 qt. pan with cooking spray. Break eggs in pan until it is about half full. Use a fork to break the yolks.
Drizzle 1/2 cup half & half over the top to cover the eggs.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on to create an inch thick layer.
Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered.
Uncover and add cooked bacon chunks to top.
Cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
Apple Crisp
4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Spread apples into greased 8 inch pan.
Mix all other ingredients in bowl. Sprinkle mixture over apples.
Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half & half
2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
In a heavy saucepan, combine first five ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 160 degrees. Remove from heat; cool quickly by setting pan in ice and stirring the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or freeze immediately. When ready to freeze, pour custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Oatmeal Scotchies
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old fashioned oats
1 2/3 cup (11 oz.) butterscotch flavored morsels
Preheat oven 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
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