Rep. Dave Hayes, R-Camano Island, and challenger Nick Petrish, a Democrat from Anacortes, are looking the same direction, they just don’t see eye to eye.
The incumbent and newcomer have similar priorities, like funding education, improving transportation and infrastructure, and keeping people safe. Their specific concerns, though, are different, as are their plans for solving state issues.
Hayes and Petrish were the top two candidates in the August primary election, edging out Republican Brien Lillquist and Democrat David Sponheim. Hayes claimed nearly 49 percent of the vote, while Petrish landed about 27 percent.
The general election on Nov. 4 will determine who fills the second seat for District 10, which covers Island County and part of Skagit and Snohomish counties, including Stanwood, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor and Langley. Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, holds the district’s first House seat. She is running against Libertarian Michael Scott.
Hayes, 48, is finishing his first term as a representative. A sergeant with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and a U.S. Navy veteran, one of Hayes’ top priorities is public safety, he said. He’s also identified transportation as a key issue, especially in a district faced with dysfunctional ferries and limited transit options.
He wants to see the state overhaul its transportation department, including the ferry system, to get higher quality equipment and construction. Failing ferries, poor road access to terminals, and service cuts are a problem for the mainland and islands, he said.
While his ears are tuned for talk of a new transportation package, that’s not the most critical topic for the next couple years.
“The one thing that is absolutely going to overshadow everything in this election is coming into compliance with the McCleary ruling,” he said.
Legislators are tasked with figuring out how to comply with the state Supreme Court’s order to fully fund K-12 education by 2018, which is expected to cost more than $3 billion.
Hayes proposes a critical review of education requirements. Unfunded mandates — meaning the state requires something but does not provide enough money for it — are dragging on school budgets. One example, he said, is standardized testing before students can graduate. It costs money to prepare for and administer those tests.
Reviewing state requirements for schools could be a long-term solution, but something has to be done soon to abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“Obviously we’re going to have to look through the entire budget,” Hayes said. “What I’m looking for is for our legislature to properly set priorities. If education is our priority, then we need to put that first and everything else needs to take a back seat.”
Petrish, an electrician and U.S. Army veteran, plans to make education his main focus, as well. He has a list of other issues he’d like to address if he wins, including transportation, money management, infrastructure repair and public healthcare.
He suggests funding education and other public services by eliminating tax breaks for corporations and trust fund beneficiaries. He also supports implementing “clawbacks,” where businesses that receive tax breaks from the state would be required to pay back the money if jobs are outsourced or relocated. Petrish cited Boeing as an example of one such corporation.
“No other politician has come out with a concrete plan for funding education,” he said. “They’re all speaking very opaquely.”
Outside of education funding, he expects a political wrestling match to get money redirected from King County projects to other infrastructure needs around the state, particularly bridges in Skagit, Island and Snohomish counties.
“That has to be done,” he said. “If we want to have safe roads, we need to fix them now, not 10 years from now. Ten years is too late.”
Petrish also is pushing for a single-payer healthcare system and supports immunizations, women’s healthcare and access to birth control, he said.
“These are huge problems, huge cultural dilemmas for us,” Petrish said.
Hayes has raised $77,340 for his campaign and spent $48,443, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Petrish has raised $2,797 and spent $2,361.
The deadline for online or mail-in voter registrations is today, and the last day to register in person is Oct. 27. Ballots are scheduled to be mailed by Oct. 17.
Kari Bray: kbray@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3439.
Name: Nick Petrish
Age: 52
Vocation: Electrician
Preferred party: Democratic
Website: www.nickpetrish.org
Name: Dave Hayes
Age: 48
Vocation: Sergeant with Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
Preferred party: Republican
Website: www.electdavehayes.com
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