Published: Friday, July 30, 2010
Meet the candidates: U.S. Congress, 1st District
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Top Row, Left to Right: Matthew Burke, Jay Inslee Bottom Row, Left to Right: David Schirle, James Watkins
What's the job?
At stake is a two-year term as a representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 1st Congressional District covers south Snohomish County and parts of King and Kitsap counties. It includes the cities of Monroe, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace. It pays $174,000 a year.
Election Day: Aug. 17, with ballots scheduled to be mailed out Friday. The two with the most votes will proceed to November's general election.
Matthew Burke
Age: 48
Occupation: Certified financial planner
Residence: Woodinville
Education: Financial planning certification through the College for Financial Planning
Website: www.matthewburkeforcongress.com
Party: Republican
In his own words: "We must restore the constitutional principles of limited government, individual rights and responsibilities and free markets. Less government equals more freedom."
Priorities: Restoring the federal government to its smaller, constitutionally defined role by focusing resources in areas like national security and eliminating spending on agencies such as the Department of Education; paying down the national debt and replacing the federal income tax with a "single, national sales tax."
Notable: Burke, who is making his first try for political office, writes of his divorce, financial challenges and past use of alcohol under the heading of "Dirty Laundry" on his campaign website. "I want to be open and up front with people and let the chips fall where they may," he explained.
Jay Inslee
Age: 59
Occupation: Incumbent congressman
Residence: Bainbridge Island.
Education: Bachelor's degree in economics from University of Washington; law degree from Willamette University
Website: www.jayinslee.com
Party: Democratic
In his own words: "In less than two years, Congress and President Obama have put the economy on the road to recovery, passed sweeping reforms of Wall Street, passed health insurance reform that gives consumers more choices for affordable care, reformed defense spending to save taxpayers money, passed student loan reform to protect college graduates from needless fees and shady loans, passed credit card reform to protect consumers and eliminated unfair fees paid by small businesses, and passed fair pay legislation that will ensure women receive equal work for equal pay.
Priorities: Putting the economy back on track, creating jobs, making access to credit and capital easier for small businesses, reducing the nation's long-term debt and improving the quality of life for Puget Sound residents.
Notable: Inslee, often mentioned as a possible candidate for governor in 2012, captured 68 percent of the vote in each of his last two re-election contests. The leading fundraiser in the race, he had $1.3 million on hand as of June 30 which is 20 times more than his closest opponent.
David Schirle
Age: 62
Occupation: Podiatrist
Residence: Lynnwood
Education: Earned doctor of podiatric medicine from California College of Podiatric Medicine, medic certificate through Special Forces Medic Course at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Website: www.1stchoiceWa.com
Party: Independent
In his own words: "My motto for the campaign is: 'Not one penny more.' That says it all. The federal government consumes 18 percent of the gross domestic product. The truth is they did not just spend the 18 percent. They spent more and went into debt to the tune of $13 trillion. I have a job and I like it. I do not need all the negatives that come with 'this' job. But someone has to stand up and say not one penny more and that is what I intend to do."
Priorities: Balancing the federal budget, defending the U.S. constitution, cutting federal spending, repaying the debt, opposing earmarks, reading every bill before voting on it and pushing to simplify the content of legislation so each bill deals with only one subject.
Notable: Schirle ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994 as a member of the Patriot Party which was inspired by Ross Perot's bid for the presidency two years earlier.
James Watkins
Age: 50
Occupation: Small business consultant, former corporate planner in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Residence: Redmond
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from George Washington University and masters in international business and finance from GWU
Website: www.watkinsforcongress.com
Party: Republican
In his own words: "The only way out of our economic hole is to shrink government and grow the private sector. I'm the only guy running for office that has actually cut federal spending at the agency level and help create thousands of jobs through my work as a consultant." Watkins budget-cutting experience came while working in the FDIC under Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
Priorities: Getting the economy growing, creating new jobs in the private sector, curbing federal spending, reducing the federal deficit and paying down the national debt.
Notable: Watkins, who is making his first run for political office, has been endorsed by the Snohomish County Republican Party. His unpaid advisers include Lew Moore, manager of Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign, and Mary Lane Strow, communications specialist for Dino Rossi's past and current campaigns.
At stake is a two-year term as a representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. The 1st Congressional District covers south Snohomish County and parts of King and Kitsap counties. It includes the cities of Monroe, Mill Creek, Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace. It pays $174,000 a year.
Election Day: Aug. 17, with ballots scheduled to be mailed out Friday. The two with the most votes will proceed to November's general election.
Matthew Burke
Age: 48
Occupation: Certified financial planner
Residence: Woodinville
Education: Financial planning certification through the College for Financial Planning
Website: www.matthewburkeforcongress.com
Party: Republican
In his own words: "We must restore the constitutional principles of limited government, individual rights and responsibilities and free markets. Less government equals more freedom."
Priorities: Restoring the federal government to its smaller, constitutionally defined role by focusing resources in areas like national security and eliminating spending on agencies such as the Department of Education; paying down the national debt and replacing the federal income tax with a "single, national sales tax."
Notable: Burke, who is making his first try for political office, writes of his divorce, financial challenges and past use of alcohol under the heading of "Dirty Laundry" on his campaign website. "I want to be open and up front with people and let the chips fall where they may," he explained.
Jay Inslee
Age: 59
Occupation: Incumbent congressman
Residence: Bainbridge Island.
Education: Bachelor's degree in economics from University of Washington; law degree from Willamette University
Website: www.jayinslee.com
Party: Democratic
In his own words: "In less than two years, Congress and President Obama have put the economy on the road to recovery, passed sweeping reforms of Wall Street, passed health insurance reform that gives consumers more choices for affordable care, reformed defense spending to save taxpayers money, passed student loan reform to protect college graduates from needless fees and shady loans, passed credit card reform to protect consumers and eliminated unfair fees paid by small businesses, and passed fair pay legislation that will ensure women receive equal work for equal pay.
Priorities: Putting the economy back on track, creating jobs, making access to credit and capital easier for small businesses, reducing the nation's long-term debt and improving the quality of life for Puget Sound residents.
Notable: Inslee, often mentioned as a possible candidate for governor in 2012, captured 68 percent of the vote in each of his last two re-election contests. The leading fundraiser in the race, he had $1.3 million on hand as of June 30 which is 20 times more than his closest opponent.
David Schirle
Age: 62
Occupation: Podiatrist
Residence: Lynnwood
Education: Earned doctor of podiatric medicine from California College of Podiatric Medicine, medic certificate through Special Forces Medic Course at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Website: www.1stchoiceWa.com
Party: Independent
In his own words: "My motto for the campaign is: 'Not one penny more.' That says it all. The federal government consumes 18 percent of the gross domestic product. The truth is they did not just spend the 18 percent. They spent more and went into debt to the tune of $13 trillion. I have a job and I like it. I do not need all the negatives that come with 'this' job. But someone has to stand up and say not one penny more and that is what I intend to do."
Priorities: Balancing the federal budget, defending the U.S. constitution, cutting federal spending, repaying the debt, opposing earmarks, reading every bill before voting on it and pushing to simplify the content of legislation so each bill deals with only one subject.
Notable: Schirle ran for the U.S. Senate in 1994 as a member of the Patriot Party which was inspired by Ross Perot's bid for the presidency two years earlier.
James Watkins
Age: 50
Occupation: Small business consultant, former corporate planner in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Residence: Redmond
Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from George Washington University and masters in international business and finance from GWU
Website: www.watkinsforcongress.com
Party: Republican
In his own words: "The only way out of our economic hole is to shrink government and grow the private sector. I'm the only guy running for office that has actually cut federal spending at the agency level and help create thousands of jobs through my work as a consultant." Watkins budget-cutting experience came while working in the FDIC under Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
Priorities: Getting the economy growing, creating new jobs in the private sector, curbing federal spending, reducing the federal deficit and paying down the national debt.
Notable: Watkins, who is making his first run for political office, has been endorsed by the Snohomish County Republican Party. His unpaid advisers include Lew Moore, manager of Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign, and Mary Lane Strow, communications specialist for Dino Rossi's past and current campaigns.
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