Incumbent Democratic 1st Legislative District State Rep. Derek Stanford and two of his three challengers recently sent statements introducing themselves to voters.
Democrat Stanford and Republicans Neil Thannisch and Brian Travis sent introductory statements. Democrat Kazuaki Sugiyama has not sent a statement.
The four candidates will run on the Aug. 2 primary ballot, with the two leaders in the primary advancing to the November general-election ballot.
Stanford has held the position for three two-year terms.
The 1st Legislative District includes most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, north Kirkland, unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell and Kirkland, and unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell including the Maltby area.
Here are the statements in the order the candidates’ names will appear on the primary ballot and in the voters’ pamphlet:
1st District Representative Position 1, 2-Year Term:
Neil Thannisch (Prefers Republican Party) —
Why me? After 30 years of working in the IT industry with great success, and having been one of the many recipients of poor and inconsistent legislation that has negatively affected our commute, the education of our children and our financial stability, I decided that my skills and abilities meet the needs of legislation in the state. I’ve lived here for 28 years, been involved in the community, and have a reputation for intelligent and straightforward approaches to solving problems. I decided that to reconcile issues in our state I needed to become part of the solution.
Kazuaki (Kaz) Sugiyama (Prefers Democratic Party) —
Has not responded to requests for an introductory statement.
Brian M. Travis (Prefers Republican Party) —
I am a native Floridian, born in Palm Beach County, grew up in Tallahassee. I moved to Washington State in 2005 with my mother, for better weather and a better life. Since moving here I have never ceased to be in wonder of our state’s beautiful environment and even more beautiful people. I am single, work two jobs, and in my spare time such as it is I enjoy photography, art &antiques, walking, and daily bible reading.
I have a Chihuahua that I adore; my interest in politics and helping others began at around age 5.
For more: www.freewaysfree.com
Derek Stanford (Prefers Democratic Party) —
As the only statistician in the state legislature, I have worked hard for practical, common-sense, fiscally responsible governing that builds from data, research, and science for policy and decision making.
I’ve prioritized public schools starting with new investments in early education, which has been shown to improve achievement and graduation rates. I’ve worked to improve chokepoints and bottlenecks on SR 522, SR 9 and Interstate 405. Clearly, we have more work to do to relieve congestion and improve safety in these corridors. Finally, I know it’s your money and it’s my job to use it as efficiently as possible.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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