Paull Shin faces two challengers for Washington state Senate
Published 12:04 pm Thursday, July 29, 2010
What’s the job?
At stake is a four-year term as a senator in the Legislature. This seat is for the 21st Legislative District, which covers southwest Snohomish County, including Mukilteo, Lynnwood and most of Edmonds. It pays $42,106 a year.
Election Day
Aug. 17, with ballots scheduled to be mailed out July 30. Both candidates will proceed to November’s general election under the state’s top-two primary system.
David Preston
Age: 50.
Occupation: employee health insurance agent.
Hometown: Edmonds.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, University of Washington.
Website: www.prestonfor senate.org.
Party: Republican.
In his own words: “We need to not just say no to spending but prioritize the functions of government. The spending is unsustainable currently. We don’t have unlimited checks in the checkbook.”
Priorities: Preston’s concerns are a projected $3 billion shortfall for the years 2011-13, cutting any fraud and waste from state government, helping small businesses and improving education.
Notable: His family has a three-legged dog named Ali. “She lost the battle with a car, but still can run really fast.”
Glen Sayes
Age: 60.
Occupation: Owner, Lumina Digital Studios (photography), Everett
Hometown: Mukilteo.
Education: seven years of college, variety of majors (chemistry, Bible theology, photography, business), no degree.
Website: www.sayes4senate.com.
Party: Republican.
In his own words: “In bad economic times, you’ve got to be innovative, you’ve got to do things differently than you have in the past. My first motivation (for running) was I was just upset that the current Legislature was not being innovative, they were just raising taxes.”
Priorities: Sayes would like to break up the Department of Social and Health Services into smaller departments; make more educational options available, such as charter schools; and work with the private sector to fund “incubator” start-up sites for new biotech companies.
Notable: Sayes was stricken with polio at age 4, six months before the vaccine was developed. He has lived most of his life in braces and on crutches and currently uses a wheelchair.
Paull Shin
Age: 74.
Occupation: State senator, 1998-present; state representative, 1992-1994; retired college professor.
Residence: Edmonds.
Education: Ph.D. in East Asian studies from the University of Washington; master’s degrees in international relations from the University of Pittsburgh and the UW; bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University.
Party: Democratic.
Website: www.paullshin forsenate.com (scheduled to be activated at the end of the July).
In his own words: “In times like this we need to export more to bring more jobs to our state. We need a competitive society in a global market.”
Priorities: Full funding of education; providing more tax breaks to trade-related businesses and incentives for overseas corporations to invest in Washington state.
Notable: Orphaned in Korea at age 4, adopted at age 16 by an American soldier during the Korean War and brought to the United States at age 18.
