Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Legislative District 10

State Senate

Ron Muzzall R


For starters, I have known Ron Muzzall since 1990, when we worked together on an initiative to provide funding for a major Conservation Futures type program. Even though we were working toward the same goal, I was not favorably impressed then and my opinion has not changed in the intervening decades. We are on the opposite side of just about every issue. 

He was appointed to fill out the term of ALEC member, former state senator Barbara Bailey. He has expressed his admiration for Bailey and his intent to continue her policies. Thus far he has been doing exactly that. 

He has pushed back on premature release of nearly 1000 prison inmates. Inslee and Corrections officials devised a plan after the Supreme Court ordered action to prevent COVID outbreaks in state prisons. Ron believes the state has other options but doesn’t tell us what they are.

He has said that COVID response was not his business, and to check with our federal delegation. Gee, I thought the head fed said this was the responsibility of individual states. On the other hand, he is unhappy with governor Inslee for the shut down order, complaining about inconsistencies and unfairness. So who does he think should be setting COVID response policy -the state or the feds? I have yet to see him with a mask.

He has claimed that the proposed low carbon fuel standard would increase the cost of fuel dramatically and would not improve roads. He claimed the idea is expensive, regressive, and ineffective. He voted against the bill.

His voting record shows where his heart is. I’ve broken it down into some broad categories.

He really does not like people in the prison system. He voted against restoring voting rights for felons who had not paid their court debts; against creation of alternatives to total confinement for persons with minor children; against granting judges leeway in sentencing minors tried as adults; against a ban on private for-profit prisons; against certifying corrections officers; against a bill to prevent arrest of people on their way to court; against loosening parole conditions; and against allowing people to explain their failure to appear in court. He has spoken out in favor of the death penalty.

Nor does he particularly like poor people. He voted against expanding child care for homeless families; against expanding unemployment benefits; against allowing additional marijuana retail licenses for social equity purposes in “disproportionately affected areas” (read slums) or by people who have had a misdemeanor possession conviction; against allowing tenants to pay certain sums in installments; against protecting employee information from public disclosure; and against a bill of rights concerning the census. 

His record on public health and welfare speaks for itself.  He voted against requiring the Insurance Commissioner to look into excess profits of health insurance companies; against establishing a prescription drug affordability board; against prohibiting discrimination in health care coverage; against ‘mitigating inequity in the health insurance market caused by health plans that exclude certain mandated benefits’; against updates to the new Paid Family and Medical Leave program; against ‘studying barriers to use of the Death with Dignity act’; against improving access to TANF (welfare); and against updating laws around treatment of AIDS.

Nor does he seem to like kids or schools very much. He voted against the “comprehensive sex ed” bill. (See the whole long rundown at the start of this blog); against ‘nurturing positive social and emotional school and classroom climates’; against supporting access to child care for high school student parents; and against bilingual early learning in K-12.

He does seem to love guns, but not any controls on them. He voted against creating a Washington Office of Firearm Violence Prevention; against restricting possession of weapons in certain locations – like jails, courtrooms, mental health facilities, taverns, and airports; against ensuring compliance with court orders to surrender firearms, weapons, and concealed pistol licenses; and against background check requirements for firearms classified as “other” under federal law.

His environmental record is not exactly stellar. He voted against requiring a minimum recycled content of some plastic containers; against banning styrofoam packaging; against amending the state greenhouse gas emission limits for consistency with the most recent climate change science; against prioritizing natural beach protections; against limiting aerial herbicide applications in forest lands; against prohibiting water withdrawals for commercial bottling; against testing public water systems for PFAS; and against recovering costs of inspection, monitoring, and compliance of aquaculture/fish farms. 

He’s not so hot on public participation. He voted against measures to increase election participation by young voters – motor voter, student engagement hubs at colleges, civics materials in high schools. 

And for someone who rails about open government, he shows his inconsistency. He voted against accountability and transparency in government contracting; against creating a state office of equity; against using traffic safety cameras for congestion reduction and increased safety; and of course against the supplemental operating budget.

Late breaking news. I have now seen video of Ron Muzzall at a July 4 weekend campaign event hosted by Oak Harbor developer Scott Thompson. Nary a mask or distancing to be seen. On Ron’s shirt is a sticker that says “$30.00.” That would be Eyman’s initiative to destroy public transportation. Someone who was not a Republican had the temerity to attend the event and try to record it. He was attacked, ended up in Harborview with a concussion, and his camera taken from him and damaged. Ron was by no means the only R politico in attendance. None of them made a move to intervene. I’m still trying to find out who else was there. I think it gives us a painfully accurate picture of Ron’s real beliefs. 

But he did pass a bill to introduce “Celebrating Navy Day.”

Needless to say, I will not be voting for Ron Muzzall.


Helen Price-Johnson D


issues:
housing
environment
health care
education
transportation & infrastructure
veterans

Rather than copy out what Helen has to say, I’m going to ask you to check out the issues tab on Helen’s website. While I have lots of niggly differences with Helen, they are differences on the same page. We can argue about how we deal with climate change, but we don’t disagree on the basic reality.

Among other things, note that Helen models the safety behavior of wearing a mask. That speaks to me of respect for the people she represents. 

I checked out my blog post about Helen from her last campaign for county commissioner and guess what? She has the same underlying issues now as she had then. Sure, specifics change. But she still wants to do the right thing for all the people. 

I’m not going to go into a whole long rap. Bottom line: if we expect to accomplish anything positive in the legislature in the coming years, we need Helen and not Ron Muzzall in the state senate.

I will be voting for Helen Price-Johnson for state senate.



State Legislature, position 1

Greg Gilday Republican


issues:
~ Healthy families need us to defeat COVID and reopen our economy. 
We can both fight the virus and restart our economy. Other states & countries have demonstrated that. Greg is an honest leader. We can trust him.

~ Better schools, better roads, better government
After this emergency we need good people to ensure we have a better government. Our state budget will be a mess. Greg has the intelligence and character we need.

He’s a dad, local small business owner, trusted attorney, and our best choice to represent our community in the legislature.

It’s a surprisingly sparse website, and he mentions only the two issues shown above. 

The focus here is on announcing campaign events and volunteer training – in person – in Oak Harbor. 

He’s very proud of having overseen creation of the Rotary Adventure Playground at Freedom Park on Camano. 

There’s a post about “growing and widespread resentment of the Governor’s use of emergency powers” and an admonition to elect more “common sense” (read: Republican) legislators to thwart such uses. 

In June he was tracking COVID cases, and claiming that our area was doing better than the rest of the country, so we must be doing something right. 

And he wishes us all a Happy Juneteenth. A refreshing surprise that he even considers it. 

On the other hand, his biggest supporter appears to blame Inslee for just about everything, particularly “favoritism” in “allowing” the Seattle demos but keeping churches shut down.

And his Facebook page warmly supports R-90, that anti-sex-ed referendum.(check out the rap on this at the start of the blog)
Land Title & Escrow  President / Chairman of the Board
He and his business partner submitted a plan to build a sewage treatment plant in Stanwood. That did not go over very well, so they submitted a plan for a brewery in 2018. Everyone seemed happy with that.
My impression from the limited information available is that Mr Gilday may be one of the old style relatively responsible Republicans. He talks a lot about being fiscally conservative and how the legislature should be rewriting the budget to reflect the foreseeable shortages coming. There may be some point to that, but I see nothing about what he considers essential and what he would be willing to jettison. 
I hold very much against him his support for R-90. As an attorney I would expect him to have read the legislation, that damned comprehensive sex-ed again. And if he has read it he knows that it is not the evil the R-90 promoters make it out to be. So I have to conclude that he is pandering to the rabble.
On the one hand he is exquisitely aware of COVID and what is needed to prevent deaths. On the other hand he and his campaign are busily planning and attending indoor events. One post on his Facebook page is by a tavern which refuses to require masks. Maybe the man is too much of a lawyer, talking out of all sides of his rather mobile mouth. I would need to know a whole lot more about this person to want to support him. And there’s no need to, because we have a wealth of better candidates.

Ivan Lewis D


issues:
 Fiscal matters:
~ wages have stayed flat since the 1970s
~ health care costs have risen astronomically and fewer people have access, will fight for single    payer
~ pensions are disappearing, will fight to protect them
~ equal pay for women for equal work
~ childcare costs skyrocketing
~ work schedules are unpredictable
     
Climate change and its impacts:
~ forest fires
~ flooding
~ storms
~ droughts

Transportation:
~ will fight to fund transportation improvements in the Hwy 20 and I-5 corridors

Ivan is a small business owner, entrepreneur, former volunteer firefighter, farmer, Eagle Scout, and father of 4 young children.

“We need real people, not rich people, in Olympia, who will do what is just and kind and champion the working class, the working poor, and those left behind, and not be beholden to corporations.” He will accept no corporate campaign donations.

His website has a page on COVID resources. He lists the many problems caused by the virus and the various responses to it. He provides positive advice and lists of resources.

His personal priorities: human rights and the environment. 
He is endorsed by Washington’s Progressives.

I have had several really fun wide-ranging conversations with Ivan. He is just a tad bit bombastic, but that’s because he’s got so many great ideas and really wants to get them out there. Ivan would make a great legislator. We could do a whole lot worse than Ivan. Once again, we have an embarrassment of riches in the 4 good candidates for this office. Under other circumstances I would happily vote for Ivan. I just can’t do it this time. 


Scott McMullen D

“Proven leadership and working family values for the 10th District”

The entire contents of this website are “meet Scott.”

The last post here is dated April 14. It should really be on the website, as it is a statement of what he expects to accomplish in the legislature.
~ improve our school system, particularly special ed and school psychologists
~ strengthen unions so workers can earn family wages
~ revising our tax code to make it fair for all
~ protecting our beautiful environment by addressing climate change and reducing our carbon footprint
~ public safety, necessary training and equipment for first responders so they can do their duty and keep us safe.

He is actively participating in remote meetings, interviews, and listening to voters’ concerns. He particularly wants to support the elderly, healthcare workers, and firefighters/EMTs. 

For those who don’t know him, Scott is a longtime firefighter, sat on the Mt Vernon city council for several terms and has been on a whole slew of boards.

I got to know Scott when he ran for the legislature two years ago. He actually won in the primary. I’m afraid he continues to suffer from the same problems as two years ago. He is unable to raise funds. Back then he was told that he needed to work on speaking to groups of people. He took it seriously but still has trouble. In a one on one or small group situation he is animated and is able to articulate his ideas clearly. In front of large groups, not so much. And he really does have good ideas. This is a big-hearted guy. 

Here were his priorities two years ago:
education: fully fund k-12 education, no-debt school, safe schools, apprenticeship programs
transportation: fully fund transportation programs, invest in infrastructure, safe & efficient ferries
public safety: support first responders, common sense measures to protect students in schools & curb gun violence
quality of life: protect native fisheries & natural bounty of Salish Sea, GMA is vital, climate change is real, need to prepare for effects and mitigate further damage, invest in clean energy to create jobs; public/private partnerships to end affordable housing crisis.

One question I posed on the phone was: It looks from your church and your 8 children that you are a Catholic. What is your position on abortion? He never hesitated. He said that yes, he is Catholic, but that he believes in a woman’s right to control her own body. Period. Good answer. Given the very strong (and disgusting) possibility that we are going to lose Roe v Wade at the federal level, power to legislate on such issues will devolve to the states, so our legislators’ opinions on that issue are going to be important. 

 I like Scott as a person. If he were running unopposed in the primary I would definitely vote for him. As it is, we have an embarrassment of riches in this particular race, so I will be voting for another candidate. 


Suzanne Woodard D

Issues:
~ affordable healthcare for our rural district
- advocate for improved access
- quality affordable care
- prioritize patient and staff safety
- build on work re addiction, mental health, behavioral health
- opioid epidemic, homelessness
~ education and opportunity for all kids
- teach the skills they need to succeed
- advocate for rural schools
- vocational and technical education apprenticeship programs, workforce training, & Future of    Work initiatives
~ affordability and livability
- prioritize people over corporations
- bring down costs of healthcare, housing, childcare, & more
- ask big business to pay their fair share
~ protecting our environment and quality of life
- climate change
~ our fair share of transportation investments
- need working infrastructure
- reduce commute times
- reliability & affordability

1-22-20 Whidbey Record – announcing Suzanne’s candidacy: Her longtime professional experience as a nurse and health educator led her to see the inequity in her community, especially in health care. “I firmly believe that everybody needs good quality health care.” Her focus will be on increasing access to health care, especially for low income and senior citizens. Including those rights under the Affordable Care Act. She is also focused on education, especially post-high school. 

She wants to increase options for job training and/or mentorship.
She supports strong unions.
She will look at transportation and infrastructure.
She has committed to taking no corporate $. 
She has “a deep sense of advocacy for people lower on the socio-economic scale.”

Suzanne has been campaigning hard and heavy. She has aligned herself with Helen Price-Johnson and Melanie Bacon (running for county commissioner). The three of them often appear (on-line) together. I have expressed to Suzanne my concern that because her life history has been one of healthcare that she tends to see all issues through that one filter. “Health care affects everything, leading to a healthy environment, appropriate development, safe roads, etc.”  Mind, there are worse filters. 

She has also been very involved in union negotiations, so has support from that quarter. She’s been lobbying for 6 years on behalf of the nurse’s union. In the course of her lobbying she became aware that many legislators needed to “be gone.”  

She believes climate change is real and sees many related angles. She is very concerned that the poor people who drive gas guzzlers and work in the refineries are the ones to be hurt in the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. She wants to address that issue.

She recognizes a need to listen. 

We could do a whole lot worse than Suzanne in the legislature. If she were the only Dem running I would have no hesitation in voting for her. But in this instance we have an embarrassment of riches and have to winnow down the field. I’m saving my vote for a friend.


Angie Homola D


priorities:
A. Environmental protection and action on climate change
~ A just transition to clean energy
~ Transportation and land use planning
~ Farming, forestry,  and aquaculture

B. Honest government and the rule of law vs politics and special interests
~ campaign finance reform
~ fair taxation and balanced budgets

C. Social Justice 
~ support of treaty rights
~ Veteran’s services
~ Public safety
~ living wage jobs, childcare, and economic vitality
~ education and vocational training
~ affordable housing and housing the homeless
~ public and mental healthcare 
~ ending opioid addiction

Angie’s philosophy:
~ Govern for the common good and respect the rule of law
~ Leave things as good as or better than you found them
~ Treat others with dignity and respect your elders
~ Collaboration and compromise work better than isolation and oppression
~ Take good care of the Earth and all that share it
~ Work hard, play hard, do your best
~ Inspire a love of learning and support for science
~ Plan for tomorrow when making decisions today
~ Transparent government of the people, by the people, for the people

I could go on at great length, since Angie and I have been friends for a long time. She is notoriously detail oriented. I told her some time ago that while others talk about god, mom, and apple pie, Angie presents a dissertation on comparative religions, a plan for a support program for new mothers, and a recipe for organic, gluten free apple pie. That kind of attention to detail makes her very good at just about everything she does, and sometimes a bit difficult. It was that attention to detail that put her in the position of becoming a whistle-blower. The people at the other end of that whistle blowing have never forgiven her for pointing out their misconduct. 

Angie served one term as an Island County Commissioner. She had great plans, only to find, when she took office, that the cupboard was bare and the first order of the day was to cut jobs and programs. It was wrenching, but her attention to detail served us all well in figuring out how to pinch every penny at least two or three times before letting it go. She also donated back 20% of her salary to help balance the budget. 
One of the constant refrains of Republicans is that they are fiscal conservatives and therefore they want to cut budgets and services. A true fiscal conservative looks at the long range economic impacts of any particular action to determine the costs and benefits. There are times when spending now will prevent huge future costs. That old “ounce of prevention.” It was with that in mind that Angie worked on the county’s budgets during her time in office. 

She has served as a state legislative liaison, studying bills to determine the effects of their passage, potential unintended consequences, fiscal impacts, and whether they serve the intended purpose. I have learned about more issues than I can remember from discussions with Angie on legislative bills.  All of which means that she knows her way around Olympia, knows who is on first and what needs to happen to reach second, third, and home base with any particular issue. She is effective. 

I’ve been putting off writing this part of the blog because it presents a difficult situation. As mentioned with the other Dem candidates for this position, we have an embarrassment of riches. I think any of the 4 Dems will do a far better job than what we have seen to date. We could do a lot worse than any of them. But I have seen and worked with Angie for a long time and know that she will do a superior job because she’s such a perfectionist. I will be voting for Angie Homola. 



State Legislature, position 2

Bill Bruch R


former LaConner Town Councilmember
Chair, Skagit Co Republicans
property and project manager

“My opponent has thrown in with the Seattle Democrats and I am running for office because the excessive taxation, over-regulation and government mandates coming out of Olympia are hurting families and businesses. One party state control continues to undermine and destroy the stability of Washington State and things will only get worse if we don’t regain seats in the legislature to oppose the current majority party’s big government tax and spend agenda. Once elected I will help to bring balance, transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility to the legislature.

Issues:
~ less taxes and regulations/ more fiscal responsibility
~ no state government mandated k – 12 sex-ed (see the discussion at the start of the blog)
~ preserve property and water rights
~ address the homelessness and addiction epidemics

“I fully support NAS Whidbey, including OLF Coupeville. . . a necessary and vital economic driver. . . we must do all that we can to keep it in full operation.” (Residents of central Whidbey would disagree)

“We must be open to a variety of solutions (to homelessness, addiction, etc.) and recognize that many private sector non-profits and community faith-based organizations can be far more effective at helping people through challenging times than government programs.” (But of course those are all voluntary and depend on the generosity of donors. They do not provide any certainty for someone in need, and there is a strong emphasis on the charity of the donors. This is the essence of the R philosophy: if someone needs help, make them beg for it.)

He attacks Dave Paul for voting in favor of the updated HIV bill (see Ron Muzzall, who voted against it)

He lauds the fact that R-90, the referendum to reverse the sex-ed bill, will be on the November ballot. (again, see the write-up at the start of the blog for the whole rundown). And of course he blames Dave Paul for voting in favor of the sex-ed bill. 

He’s got several large diatribes against “contract” tracing and how unconstitutional that is. “The true data and study after study shows there is NO Covid emergency and it is time to fully open up the state.” 
He is virulently against any regulations or controls to stop the spread of COVID. This includes objections to any financial relief – because it would take money from corporations and give it to “illegal aliens.” He calls COVID a plot by Bill Gates and Dr Fauci, and that wearing a mask can cause heart attacks, so advocates against their use. He thanks the hundreds of people who attended the “Re-Open Washington” rally at the Snohomish County courthouse in Everett. (this was late May)

“When our government lets you go out for groceries and hardware but demands a mail-in vote, you can be certain they’re not really concerned about keeping you safe from a virus.”
He wholeheartedly supports a class action lawsuit which claims that federal law does not allow for the guaranteeing of healthy people.
And he blames China for the virus, with various false claims.

And here’s a major diatribe against the sex-ed bill, claiming it requires showing kids pornography, and ‘graphic sex lessons as early as 2nd and 3rd grades.” It further accuses the bill of promoting abortion and teaching high risk behaviors. “This is a coordinated indoctrination of our youth. Planned Parenthood is backing this as it promotes abortion.” Oh, and “one of the largest pornography sites is offering sex ed.” This is why I checked out the bill. You will see that it does none of these things. 

And its all a Communist plot. Really. 

Some fascinating (and a bit nauseating) conspiracy ranting about how George Soros is really behind the censorship on Amazon. Etc. 

In fall 2019 The Skagit County Republican Party and its chair, Bill Bruch, which have strongly supported Donald Trump, both recently joined We Speak, a right-wing Christian alternative to Facebook.

Questions posed in a telephone poll. Would the facts below change your opinion of Bill Bruch?
~ Bruch has been sued multiple times for mismanaging other people’s money
~ In at least one instance Bruch failed to appear in court on one of those charges
~ Bruch supports Trump and Trump’s wall
~ Bruch calls COVID a plot by Bill Gates and Dr Fauci, and that wearing a mask can cause heart attacks, so advocates against their use.
~ Bruch wants to roll back Medicare and coverage for pre-existing conditions
~ Bruch wants to institute an “age tax” on older people to pay for their medical coverage
~ Bruch supports Nazi legislator Matt Shea.
I was not able to verify all of these slam statements, but did find verification of some of them. 

Bottom Line: We’ve got yet another classic right-wing businessman who cares more about business than about people, and sees conspiracies around every corner. He’s ready to believe that Black Lives Matter is an Antifa conspiracy, that COVID is overblown and a power grab by Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci. I would love to hear him speak on climate change and environmental issues. 

Late breaking news: I’ve written elsewhere about the Oak Harbor July 4 event at which a non-R observer was beaten to the point of hospitalization and none of the R candidates present lifted a hand or said a word against it. I don’t know if Bill Bruch was actually present at the time, but his name was listed as one of the sponsors on the invitation. Good to know the kind of company he keeps. Might be interesting to ask if he condones such behavior.

The Whidbey News-Times has now reported on this event. I followed up with Mr Bruch. Here's the exchange:

On Sat, Jul 18, 2020 at 2:13 PM Marianne Edain <FH@whidbey.com> wrote:
Mr Bruch,

Your name appears as a sponsor of the campaign event on the property of Scott Thompson in Oak Harbor on July 4. There is reliable evidence that a person was severely beaten at that event and that no one present came to his rescue. 

Were you present at that event?
What have you said publicly about the beating?

Curiously,

Marianne Edain

Mr Bruch's response:


Hi Marianne, I was not a sponsor of the event, but was present at the event and was witness to the ridiculous claim. There is absolutely no truth to this. The individual who said he was beaten is blatantly lying.
Please check the Oak Harbor police report. The individual who is making this claim was the puritrator, he in fact assaulted a woman and was taken away by the police for it.

Best Regards, 

Sure enough, right on cue, here's a mailer from "Friends of Bill Bruch" warning us that "Dave Paul wants graphic comprehensive Sex-Ed taught beginning as early as kindergarten." Not to sound like a broken record, but this is pretty much what I predicted, and what I wrote about at the start of this blog. So there are two possibilities: either Mr Bruch has not read the legislation and doesn't know what he's talking about, or he does know and chooses to misrepresent it to scare those who don't read the fine print. Either way, its reprehensible.

Even if we had no alternative, I would not vote for this guy.


Dave Paul D incumbent


Dave lists his issues as follows:

Care – worked to: lower cost of prescription drugs; reduce the cost of insulin; fund COVID response; fund mental health & substance abuse services. I could go on here, but bottom line he is doing his best to respond to the crisis in all parts of our society caused by COVID and the response to it. 

Education – The man is an educator, so its not surprising that he puts a fair amount of focus here. He has worked to: reduce the cost of Running Start programs; establish a Running Start summer term program; improve support for para-educators; remove high-stakes testing as a graduation requirement; pushed for affordable college and tech schools.

Family Wage Jobs – worked to: ensure living wages; guarantee the right of unions to bargain; better parental leave policies; more childcare options; more flexible work schedules; pay transparency; apprenticeship programs.

Environment -worked to: clean up and preserve public lands for fishing, hunting, and recreation; reduce the effects of climate change on farming, fishing, and tourism; reduce greenhouse gases by investing in farming and forestry; phase out coal by 2025 (that’s the Colstrip plant in Montana, where PSE gets a significant share of our electric power). 

Housing – yes, he wants affordable housing, so wants to see more apartments, condos, “starter homes” and mid-range housing. He does not want to weaken the Growth Management Act because that may lead to more housing, but not more affordability.

Supporting Veterans – worked to: expand support for veteran students; increase access to education, affordable housing, and healthcare; grant veterans and their children in-state tuition; full retirement benefits. He has proposed a whole menu of what he calls simple fixes to make life easier for veterans and their families.

He lists Community Investments. This is the part where he tells us what bacon he has brought home. 
$300k+ for the Anacortes Family Center, to improve childcare and housing affordability programs
$1 million for Ebey’s Landing to protect historic structures within the reserve
$1 million for the Ferry to Ken’s Corner trail segment
$1 million for upgrades to Skagit County’s emergency communication (911) system.

He supports raising the minimum age for buying assault rifles to 21, and adding further regulations on the sale of guns.

He supported the sex ed bill (again, check the start of this blog for the whole rap, and note that his opponent is cranking up the freak-out factor) and the loonies are trying to crucify him for it. To quote from his constituent update: “I trust our parents, teachers, and school board members to make the best decisions for students at the local level. I have experienced first-hand how this relationship works and know how important this collaboration is to develop appropriate curricula for our students.
The legislature passed a bill to help promote healthy families, providing better tools for parents, educators, and school districts to teach affirmative consent and bystander training that protect our children, as well as strengthens the requirement for school districts to consult with parents and guardians when developing this important curriculum.” Perish the thought, teaching kids to say no to inappropriate touching, and to intervene when it is happening to someone else.  

He is endorsed by a slew of Dem organization, unions, good government and issue organizations, and even the Washington State Patrol Troopers’ Association. 

In the legislature he has sponsored or supported: 100% clean electricity (no more coal fired PSE power), stronger efficiency standards for commercial buildings, the Solar Fairness Act, expanded transportation electrification and pollution reduction, appliance efficiency standards, phase out of climate impacting super pollutants, shoreline habitat protection, orca protection, oil spill prevention, toxic cleanup funding, and more. 

I have met Dave Paul and spoken with him a number of times and he is obviously very bright, thoughtful, and easy to talk to/argue with. As with others, there are issues on which we disagree, but we don’t have to argue about the underpinnings. We have a shared understanding of how the world works. I have been most pleased with what I see Dave Paul doing in the legislature and will be most happy to vote to keep him there. I will be voting for Dave Paul.


2 comments:

  1. I posted a comment here last week but it seems to be gone now? My comment was, I agree with Marianne on all her selections except for the 2nd State Rep. Position. I believe Suzanne Woodard would be a better choice, because of extensive work she's already been doing in Olympia, and her connections and ability to work with others to get things done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The League of Women Voters is hosting 3 online candidate forums next week July 20-22 at 7 pm each night Mon-Weds. Check it out at lwvWhidbey.org and learn more about our various candidates for local office.

    ReplyDelete