Incumbent Democratic1st Legislative District Rep. Luis Moscoso faces Republican challenger Ed Barton in the November general election.
The two recently sent statements about what they think are the most important issues in the election.
The district includes most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell, north Kirkland, and unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell
Here are their statements:
Luis Moscoso (Prefers Democratic Party)
First and forefront among our legislative priorities is the funding of education in our state. I remain fully committed to funding K-12 education at levels that give teachers the resources they need to succeed and students the tools they need to compete in our global economy. The last budget the House passed made substantial gains in education funding, only to have Senate negotiations stall. I remain hopeful that we will be able to continue working with the Governor and Senate to meet our obligations in the next session.
Next, the 1st Legislative District is starved for transportation improvements and investment. Business, policy makers, environmentalists, and labor all agree this must be done. We need to pass a transportation package that funds rail, transit and road improvements throughout the state. As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I am proud of the reforms we’ve have been able to enact to make sure we are getting the most out of our transportation dollars and will continue to push for efficiencies when it comes to our tax dollars.
My final priorities involve continued work on reducing crime and violence in our communities as well as passage of the Voting Rights Act.
Edward J. Barton (Prefers Republican Party)
The greatest single issue facing voters this fall is financial. A multi-billion-dollar shortfall in court-mandated education funding as a result of the McCleary decision, coupled with a general-fund budget shortfall and the potential of even greater spending mandates if I-1351 passes could lead to a $4 billion plus gap for the next two-year budget cycle.
The way our government works must improve first. The State needs to stay out of our wallet, health choices, lifestyle, family and business as much as possible. The current regulatory environment and government mandates are expending limited resources to provide limited benefits – if any – to our communities.
We need to focus on our roads and bus transportation systems – as well as adopting the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus reform package, on our K-12 schools by providing education choice and intelligent funding, on helping those most in need – including expanding mental-health initiatives to address the root causes of homelessness, poverty, crime and substance abuse, and intelligent public-safety initiatives designed to protect our citizens from violent crime, impaired drivers and domestic violence.
We need to bring common sense accountability to our government spending.
That is our single biggest issue.
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