10th legislative district

position 1

√  Aaron Simpson, D, Langley, endorsed by Progressive Voter. He’s young, which means he has ideas the same old same old haven’t thought of. He supports public schools and recognizes the threat charter schools pose to public school funding. He’s brave (or naive) enough to take on Washington’s unfair regressive tax system. “Eliminate tax incentives that don’t create jobs and design ones that do.” He wants to protect agricultural land for production and clarify environmental regulations.

Norma Smith, R, incumbent, very personable, easy to talk to. Just don’t expect actual support. Talks a good line but votes the usual R destructo agenda. Thinks chopping state programs is the way to create jobs. Sponsored a bill limiting the authority of state agencies (HB 1151). Sponsored a bill requiring special license plates for people convicted of DUIs (maybe with scarlet letters?). Sponsored a moratorium on rulemaking (HB 1156). Offered to help with State Parks funding but we never heard from her again.

position 2

√  Tom Riggs, D, ran 2 years ago and was swamped by Bailey. Camano state park ranger. endorsed by Progressive Voter and just about everybody else. focus: Washington jobs, sustainable economy, voice for working people. President (2^nd term) Camano Chamber of Commerce. His tag line: “Its your government and your money, isn’t it time it started working for you?”

Dave Hayes, R, police officer. focus: education, public safety, removing regulations from small business. Endorsed by Barbara Bailey and Norma Smith. His life’s focus has been on “public safety.” He tells us he was in the Navy, based at NAS Whidbey, then worked as a Marysville cop, then a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy. The problem with people who are trained as hammers is that they see all situations as nails to be hit. By focusing on ‘public safety’ such people overlook the obvious: an ounce of prevention in the form of public parks, public health, and basic support is a lot cheaper and easier on all concerned than hammering people after they’ve gone over an edge. His website does not provide a single actual position on an issue.  Just another R in the mold of Barbara and Norma.

10^th leg. district, senate

√  Mary Margaret Haugen, D,  incumbent, endorsed by Progressive Voter. Mary Margaret has been around forever. She has her faults, but she knows what’s important. She doesn’t admit it in the current political climate, but Mary Margaret was one of the authors of the Growth Management Act, which has been the biggest single law to keep Island County from being over-run by slob development. You may have read that the ferry system wants to save money by canceling some Keystone and Mukilteo ferry runs. Mary Margaret is the chair of the Senate transportation committee and she says no, we need those boats. And we know Mary Margaret, she’ll make it stick. She also told all her supporters (and by no means for the first time) that she would have no mud slinging on her behalf. And she has made it stick.

Given the competition, its important to re-elect her.

Barbara Bailey, R, currently state rep, member of ALEC, proud of having demolished the state budget. Genuinely believes that there is money hiding somewhere and the Dems refuse to bring it forward. Most of her funding comes from big pharma, and her votes reflect that and the ALEC (think Trayvon Martin/Stand Your Ground) agenda. Her website does not reveal her platform. She did send out a flyer which says jobs are her first priority, and we’re going to get them by shrinking government. She says “private sector job growth will stabilize tax revenue for critical government services, like education and public safety.”  And just when can we expect those jobs?

The Republican Central Committee has sent out a number of blatantly false hit pieces against Mary Margaret. Bailey cried buckets of crocodile tears about how she couldn’t control other people and she had nothing to do with that. Funny, Mary Margaret said she wouldn’t have mudlsinging and people abided by that. So Bailey is saying that she can’t control her own supporters? Doesn’t speak well for having any influence in the Senate. Bailey is the problem.