Different approaches to jobs, transportation, education

Democratic state Rep. Derek Stanford was coasting toward re-election to another two-year term. He had no opponent. Then Republican challenger Mark Davies lodged a write-in campaign in the August primary election.

Now the two candidates are vying for the Position 1 seat in the 1st Legislative District. It encompasses parts of south Snohomish and north King counties, including Bothell, Brier, Mountlake Terrace and parts of Kirkland.

Davies plans to give the two-term incumbent a run for his money in the Nov. 4 general election. But Davies hasn’t reported spending a dime on his campaign, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Meanwhile, Stanford has spent $37,425. He’s raised $65,047 compared to Davies’ $1,485.

Davies, 59, of Bothell, said he wanted to be on the ballot after he realized Stanford didn’t have a Republican challenger. In July, he registered as a write-in, as he did in 2012 for the district’s other House seat. He also lost in a bid for that office in 2006.

Davies works as a business analyst for the Boeing Co. He graduated from the Northshore School District and spent some time at Brigham Young University.

Stanford, 43, also of Bothell, runs a small statistical consulting company. He has a Ph.D. in statistics from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College in California.

Stanford and Davies agree that jobs, transportation and education are among the major issues the Legislature will have to tackle in January. But they have very different ideas about what should be done and how to pay for it.

Lawmakers must come up with a way to fund public education to satisfy orders from the state Supreme Court. “More than that, we really need to have a great school system,” Stanford said. “That’s part of what makes our economy move.”

Stanford expects the state will need new revenue to pay for education. He’s willing to consider a variety of options, including new taxes, closing tax breaks and implementing fees.

Meanwhile, Davies favors reform to cut school costs. He wants the state to drop out of federal education programs. In doing so, the state would lose federal money, but Davies thinks those programs cost Washington more than it gains.

He supports abandoning Common Core standards and No Child Left Behind. He believes the state could then get rid of half of its school administrators.

Davies also aims to rid Washington of the National School Lunch Program, which provides federal money for free and reduced-price meals for low-income students.

“Some of the people who are taking advantage of that program are capable of making their own sandwiches at home,” he said. “Others already have food stamps.”

Davies acknowledged the state would need to pay for meals for people who aren’t abusing the system without the federal dollars.

He envisions modeling Washington policy on that of Wisconsin’s Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Davies favors changing the law so teachers and other public employees would not be required to be part of labor unions.

Davies opposes Initiative 1351, the measure that would require fewer students in each classroom, while Stanford favors it.

Davies is also opposed to Initiative 594 for universal background checks on firearm purchases. He believes criminals will get guns if they want them. The additional regulation, he says, would make it harder for law-abiding citizens to transfer guns and would result in loss of privacy.

Stanford, a gun owner, supports the background checks.

Both candidates plan to vote against Initiative 591, which seeks to stop the government from confiscating firearms without due process and implements stricter background checks than what is federally required.

Stanford and Davies have similar transportation goals — cutting commute times, improving public transit and maintaining infrastructure — but they differ as to how to do it.

For Stanford, planning for the future while considering the state’s growing population and the environment is critical. He wants to ensure people and freight are moving through the state efficiently. Stanford said increasing the gas tax is likely part of the solution to funding transportation projects, but lawmakers also will need to find new ways to pay.

Davies has a different answer. He proposes building a personal rapid transit system throughout the greater Seattle area. It would involve a system of elevated rails. Automated electric vehicles would carry users directly to a destination.

Davies believes it would be less expensive to build and operate than other public transportation. He would support property and gas taxes or a levy to pay for it.

The two candidates both have environmental and safety concerns about the increasing number of oil and coal trains rolling through the area.

Stanford said he is working with farmers as part of the House agriculture and natural resources committee. Because of those trains, he said, farmers are having trouble accessing freight rail to get their products to market. He’s leaning against exporting fossil fuels from the state. Davies is not opposed to shipping coal out of Washington, but he’d prefer to see a pipeline built to carry oil.

Both candidates want to stimulate the state’s economy.

As vice chair of the House capital budget committee, Stanford says he looks for ways to bring more family-wage jobs to the state by providing reliable utilities, educating the workforce and maintaining outdoor spaces that make Washington an attractive place to live.

Davies favors cutting business taxes and reducing regulation. The state has a difficult business environment, he said, causing companies such as Boeing to move jobs out of state. He supports repealing the business-and-occupation tax.

Both candidates support cities and counties sharing in the tax revenue brought in by the state’s new recreational marijuana system. But they’re split on how to handle the medicinal form of the drug.

Stanford said medical marijuana needs to be licensed and regulated so it has safeguards that are similar to those of the recreational system. Davies favors eliminating the medical dispensary system altogether.

Voters should start receiving ballots to mark their choices for the Nov. 4 election next week.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports

The candidates:

Derek Stanford

Party: Democrat

Age: 43

City of Residence: Bothell

Occupation: Legislator and statistician

Experience: Director of analytics at a telecommunication company, small business owner, fraud investigator

Education: PhD in statistics from the University of Washington, master’s degree in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College

Website: derekstanford.com

Mark Davies