Governor
With 11 candidates, there’s something for everyone. Well,
actually, not so much. We’ve got 3 Republicans, 4 Democrats, 1 Socialist
Worker, 1 Fifth Republic (huh?), 1 Holistic (again, huh?), and 1 Independent.
And if you want to read all about each of them, you can do so further down.
There are a fair number of single issue idealogues, and a
few serious candidates.
Jay Inslee is the Democratic incumbent governor
and, while I have some serious disagreements with him on the issue of
aquaculture (he promotes it as part of his environmental agenda), for the most
part he has done a reasonably good job. He is touted in the press as the
country’s “most environmental governor” – which mainly shows how bad things are
elsewhere. On the other hand, he has just appointed one of my favorite
environmental attorneys to the State Court of Appeals for our district.
The Republican Party endorsed opposition is Bill Bryant,
a Seattle Port Commissioner and venture capitalist. His business kind of says
it all. He supported the Port of Seattle leasing a berth for Shell Oil’s Arctic
Explorer. He also supported the Port suing the City of Seatac to avoid having
to pay their new higher minimum wage. Kind of puts the lie to his claimed
priorities of: “kids, jobs, traffic jams, taxes, salmon, and fixing broken
bureaucracies.”
Patrick O’Rourke is a Democrat and a Sanders
campaign activist. He’s a utility worker, union member, and avid beekeeper. I
like everything he’s got to say and agree with his positions on all the issues.
If I want to be sure we keep our Dem governor in office, I
will likely vote for Jay Inslee. If I want to
vote my heart, it will be Patrick O’Rourke.
The profiles:
http://stopeastlinknow.blogspot.com
education: MS, engineering,
Iowa State University.
Strong supporter of “pro-life”. Primary issues: “the utter
incompetence of Sound Transit and WSDOT in dealing with the state’s
transportation problems.” Candidate declaration states that he has no
expectation or desire to be elected. He just wants to draw attention to his
blog. Also “intend to delve into the efficacy of limiting CO2 emission as a way
to limit “climate change” (his quotes, not mine) and attempts to use “renewable
energy” (again, his quotes) to meet the area’s energy needs.
education: Willamette University law
Former legislator, regional director of US Dept of Health & Human Services. Worked on sustainable energy since 1990. Voted in favor of an assault weapons ban.
Agenda: Strengthening the economy. Cleaning up our environment. Improving our schools. He has just appointed one of our favorite environemental attorneys to the state Court of Appeals for our district. Strong supporter of women and their right to choose. Has called for a halt to "bomb trains" in Washington. Supports LGBT rights. Issues:
- budget - invest in K-12 education, fulfill obligations under McCleary decision, insure protection for the most vulneerable, build on success of LEAN management. Implement a sustainable budget.
- economy - Support industries of strategic importance. Encourage business diversity. Ensure career readiness. Expand workforce training and education in STEM. Growth and prosperity for everyone.
Workforce development. Implement paid family leave.
- education - Give our kids a strong start early. Retain skilled teachers and principals. Improve graduation rates. Focus on STEM. Reinvest in higher education.
- efficient government - require plain language. Conducted a summit on race and equality.
- energy and environment - Reduce carbon pollution. Reduce toxics. Strengthen the shellfish industry. Dealing with climate change and its impacts.
- transportation - Transportation investment package. Electrification of WA roadways (this means providing recharge stations everywhere). Keep our roads safe.
Endorsed by Washington Conservation Voters
Endorsed by FUSE Progressive Voters
David Blomstrom Fifth Republic
Anti-jewish activist, ex-teacher,
frequent candidate.
This guy is a peculiar combination of
a lot of issues that resonate with the left – combined with a loony tunes
hatred for all Jews. He is also rather free with the insults and name calling.
Pretty toxic.
Bill Bryant
R Seattle Port Commissioner,
venture capitalist
education: Georgetown University,
trade & diplomacy
This is the party supported R
candidate. His purported agenda sounds a little too good to be true: ensuring
equal access to excellent education, create jobs, defend middle class jobs,
push reforms to keep jobs in Washington, cleaning up Puget Sound. He lists his
priorities as: kids, jobs, traffic jams, taxes, salmon, and fixing broken
bureaucracies.
Supported port leasing a berth for
Shell’s Arctic Explorer. Supported Port suing City of SeaTac to avoid having to
pay their new higher minimum wage.
James Deal
D attny, real estate broker,
frequent candidate
“a model progressive and green
campaign”
Issues: close Hanford, build a
fibre-optic network, no commercial service at Paine Field, anti-flouridation,
$15.00 minimum wage, says Inslee is weak on coal train issues, objects to smart
electric meters, believes in chemtrails, wants to house the homeless, wants to
ban pesticides on golf courses, wants a state bank.
He is a campaigner with some very good
and some slightly wacky ideas.
Johnathan Dodds D
businessman
jmdodds@outlook.com
campaign platform:
· FAIR COLLEGE GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT H1 B VISA
LEGISLATION
· MAKE COLLEGE TUITION FREE
· DEBT TRANSPARENCY LEGISLATION
· RIGHTS OF THE CHILD LEGISLATION
· RIGHTS OF THE PARENT LEGISLATION
· STATE OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY FOR THE PEOPLE
LEGISLATION
· INITIATIVE AWARENESS LEGISLATION
· FREEDOM FROM PERSECUTION LEGISLATION
· ANTI TROLL LEGISLATION
· ANTI BLACK LISTING LEGISLATION
His Facebook page and fundraising web page are amateurish.
Found no photo.
Goodspaceguy
R amateur astronomer, amateur
economist,frequent candidate
goodspaceguy42@yahoo.com
education: MA University of Minnesota
“defend small business. Abolish the
minimum wage”
“rent controls destroy the rental
market.”
“property rights are the pathway to
prosperity for the people.”
Christian Pierre Joubert Holistic Naturopath, frequent candidate
Christian@holisticparty.org
former professor of public
international law, organic farmer, naturopath
website is not yet populated
Mary Martin
Socialist Workers State party
chair, communist political organizer, frequent candidate
Says the Seattle Times: “She has no
campaign, no website, and next to little exposure. You’re lucky if you can even
find 2 photos of this woman. “
Patrick O’Rourke D
Sanders campaign activist
A utility worker and union member for 35 year. An avid beekeeper.
Issues:
- Criminal justice reform - no privatized prisons. Opposed armed police in schools. Wans previous marijuana conviction vacated. Wants hold police accountable.
- Protecting natural resources - clean water, clean air, healthy soils. Opposed unregulated use of toxic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Strongly opposes fracking. Opposes oil and gas export and processing terminals. Supports immediate ban on all hydrocarbon rail transport statewide. Wants to shut down Hanford and do a genuine cleanup. Wants to collaborate and consult with tribes on how to deal with climate change.
- Energy - Go green! Need to mitigate the effects of climate change. Supports a managed transition to 100% renewable energy including next generation photovoltaics, wind, distributed energy storage, tidal, and geothermal energy capture where appropriate. Transition to renewables will spur the economy in the short and long run and prevent oil spills and exposure to coal dust, among other things.
- Banking - Supports a public bank, which would incidentally put predatory payday lenders out of business.
- Housing - will work to solve homelessness via public housing stock and alternative models of land ownership such as community land trusts.
- Health Care - Supports a not-for-profit single-payer health care system.
- Education - Need to invest in education, from pre-school to university. Would investigate how Colorado is using marijuana tax revenue to fund schools.
Steve Rubenstein Independent business consultant, community activist
steve@steverubenstein.com
Education: Wharton School,
entrepreneurial management & information systems
Has started and sold 2 businesses. Volunteered
for Sierra Club re coal export terminals. Has coached non profits and socially
oriented startups. Has ideas on how to solve the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Favors a capital gains tax to fund education. Feels the parties are busy fighting
each other instead of solving problems.
Priorities: education, tax reform,
mental health, drug reform, minimum wage, environmental protection (calls
himself a tree hugger), state park funding. Thinks carbon tax proposals are
unrealistic.
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