Editorial: Re-elect Peterson, Ortiz-Self for 21st District House seats
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, October 18, 2016
By The Herald Editorial Board
21st Legislative District, House of Representatives
The 21st Legislative District is in southwest Snohomish County and includes Mukilteo, Lynnwood and northwest Edmonds.
Position 1
Rep. Strom Peterson, a Democrat, is running for his second term in office. He is challenged by Libertarian Alex Hels.
Hels, an Everett resident, was raised in Lynnwood and graduated from Lynnwood High School. Hels said he ran at the urging of fellow Libertarian Bruce Guthrie who was defeated in the primary for the district’s Position 2 House seat and because he believes that government is best run by everyday people. He has worked a number of jobs, including security and at a coffee shop, work that has given him perspective into his community.
Hels’ priorities are focused on youths and education. A football coach with a youth program and assistant for the Lynnwood High School team, Hels would support more vocational and life skills programs in schools. He would also seek reforms that would reduce regulations on teachers.
Peterson, previously served for five years on the Edmonds City Council and has served on several boards addressing public safety, the arts, economic development and the environment. An Edmonds resident since 2001, he owns a deli and cheese shop in that city’s downtown.
School funding will be the priority in the coming session, Peterson says, but that funding can’t jeopardize other programs that address homeless and assistance for low-income families that prepare children to learn. A levy swap proposal is likely to be considered, but Peterson wants to consider other sources of revenue including a modest tax on capital gains and an elimination of some tax loopholes.
Among Peterson’s legislative work, a bill he sponsored to expand a prescription monitoring program to better address opioid addiction was passed into law. Peterson now wants a statewide drug take-back law that would require pharmaceutical companies to fund programs for safe disposal of expired and unused prescription medicine.
If elected, Peterson said he wants to pursue legislation that would invest in workforce development and worker retraining programs at local colleges and universities, as well as apprenticeship programs to provide the skilled workers regional companies need. He also wants to again work on a bill that would step up inspections of septic systems to address nonpoint pollution in Puget Sound.
Peterson wants to see more investment in transportation issues, not just to relieve congestion for motorists but to improve the movement of freight, seeing it as an investment in the state’s economic competitiveness. He also is supportive of the Sound Transit ballot measure to extend its Link right rail service.
In one term, Peterson has shown himself to be an effective lawmaker, well-versed on the issues facing his district and the state. He has earned a second term in the House.
Position 2
Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, a Democrat, was appointed to her seat in January 2014, won election that fall and is running for her second full term. She is challenged by Republican Jeff Scherrer, who ran against Ortiz-Self in 2014.
Scherrer, who has lived in Edmonds since 2004, has worked in software development for Microsoft and Washington Mutual. Scherrer says he would work to reduce regulation, believes too much of the state’s education budget goes to administration rather than the classroom and opposes the tolls on I-405. He supports charter schools and believes school districts should remain in control of their school levies.
Ortiz-Self, a Mukilteo resident works as a counselor and teacher for the Everett School District. As vice-chairwoman of the education committee, Ortiz-Self has been directly involved with the Legislature’s work to fund education. As part of the education package, the Legislature will have to address the current teacher shortage by attracting and retaining good teachers, she said. In resolving education funding issues related to teacher pay, Ortiz-Self said the compensation formula should account for regional differences in cost of living.
Likewise, her work on the early learning and human services committee convinces her that work to fund education must preserve funding for other state needs. Ortiz-Self says the Legislature will need to consider closing loopholes in tax incentives and look at a capital gains tax as a source of revenue. Like Peterson, she supports additional investment in transportation to support local businesses.
Ortiz-Self was a co-sponsor on successful legislation to integrate treatment for mental health and chemical dependency patients, improving education outcomes for homeless students by providing additional support with housing and guidance and better track rape kits handled by law enforcement to ensure their timely processing.
The House and the Legislature will need informed and thoughtful lawmakers, such as Ortiz-Self, as it confronts a court mandate to make significant progress in fully funding education and reducing the over-reliance on local school levies. She merits a second full term.
