Ashley Gulke of Burlington has joined the primary race for the Ward County Commission as a write-in candidate.

She said her background in agriculture, finance and law are assets she can bring to the commission.

A former commodities trader at the Chicago Board of Trade, Gulke and her husband farm near Burlington and she has operated a Minot law practice since 2013, specializing in criminal defense. She is a native of Rockford, Illinois, and has lived in a number of locations over the years, including spending time overseas in London, Bangkok and Argentina.

“I have a lot of varied experience,” she said. “I”ve seen what works for communities and what doesn’t in other places.

“My passions are being fiscally conservative and making wise planning decisions moving forward so that you live in a place that you don’t have to vacation from,” she said.

Gulke said she is running because of that passion for decision making and planning as well as her interest in seeing greater rural representation on the commission. She said she enjoys having a say in how things are run but also values opportunities to hear from others and get different opinions.

“I’m willing to listen,” she said, noting her quality of work as an attorney doesn’t change depending on the client and the same would be true in representing the residents of Ward County.

“If you are able to listen to someone who is probably one of the most marginalized people in our county, you’re also going to be able to have conversations that represent the wellbeing of everybody,” she said.

The primary election is June 11.