Both are longtime politicians, centrist candidates and come from families in which they were the only child.
Add fierce campaigners to the list, too.
While they both agree on some issues, Edmonds City Council member Dave Earling and state Sen. Aaron Reardon of Everett are drawing major differences between themselves as their campaigns come to a close.
Democrat Reardon is criticizing Republican Earling’s record in Edmonds, saying that he raised property taxes during 11 of his 12 years on the council.
Earling, meanwhile, continues to call out what he sees as Reardon’s lack of management experience and the senator’s three political campaigns in the past four years.
"It’s apparent to me that Mr. Reardon is an upwardly mobile politician. And I do not believe this is his last stop," Earling said.
Earling said the county executive post is the last elected office he will seek, and said he’s committed to serving two terms as executive, if voters agree.
"I believe in fulfilling commitments. That’s a stark contrast to my opponent, who has run for three offices in the last four years," Earling said.
Reardon said his commitment to Snohomish County residents can’t be questioned.
And if voters were worried about him seeking the county executive post, they wouldn’t have given him the nod in September’s primary, he said.
"I do believe that I have the experience and the vision to be the next county executive," Reardon said, adding that he won’t step down as senator if he doesn’t win on Nov. 4.
"I still have a job to do as state senator, and I’m going to follow through on my term. I’m not going to walk away just because I don’t win an election," Reardon said.
"I will follow through on my commitment in the Senate," he said.
Reardon questions Earling’s record in Edmonds.
"The man has raised property taxes 11 of the last 12 years he’s been on the council," Reardon said. "I think that is not successful when you’re facing EMS levies like they’re facing now.
"They increased taxes significantly in the 1990s when the economy was booming. They had to make significant budget cuts when the economy turned down," Reardon said.
Earling, however, said property tax increases have been below the rate of inflation the past three years.
"The citizens of Edmonds expect a certain level of service, including public safety, police and fire protection," Earling said. "They understand that the cost of labor has accelerated. They understand that medical insurance has increased.
"We have tried over and over to keep our taxes as low as possible," he said.
Reardon, 32, was born in Mountlake Terrace but grew up in Everett. He graduated from Mariner High School, played one year of football as a wide receiver, and went to state with the school’s swim team.
He’s been in politics since his college days at Central Washington University in the early ’90s, when he helped with President Clinton’s campaign. He also started a political club in college, but was undeterred when only six people showed up at the first meeting.
Reardon hasn’t had much trouble since in gathering support.
He was elected twice to the 38th Legislative District seat in the state House, the first time in 1998, and was elected to the state Senate last year.
Earling was born in Lewiston, Idaho, but was raised in Spokane.
He played the trumpet in high school and was a music professor at Shoreline Community College for 11 years. He ran a real estate business that eventual became Coldwell Banker Bain-Edmonds.
Earling, 60, has been on the Edmonds City Council for the past 12 years.
While the campaign has turned testy in the final weeks, the race for county executive heated up before the primary when there were six candidates for the $122,203-a-year job.
Controversy mostly followed Reardon, however, and much of it was not of his own making.
Before the primary, Reardon was the subject of a hit piece mailed to voters by fellow Democrat Kevin Quigley.
Among other things, the flier claimed Reardon had accepted illegal campaign contributions and had inappropriately spent campaign money on an airline ticket for his wife when the pair attended a legislative conference in Texas.
The state Public Disclosure Commission reviewed the purchase of the ticket and determined nothing was amiss.
"It is permissible to spend money for that purpose," said Doug Ellis, a commission spokesman.
A second complaint filed with the commission during the primary said Reardon had listed endorsements on his campaign Web site that weren’t valid. The complaint was dismissed, Ellis said, after Reardon removed the names.
The supporters’ names were from an earlier campaign and not for the race for county executive, Ellis said.
Investigations are still ongoing in two other complaints filed against Reardon or those working to get him elected. Both complaints center on a political action committee, originally called the Friends of Aaron Reardon and later called People for Ethical Government.
Contributions to the committee, including money from developers and $16,620 in donations from a postal clerk, have raised questions. One complaint alleges Reardon’s campaign has been involved with the committee, a charge Reardon denies. State law prevents a candidate from operating more than one campaign committee.
"It’s a fishing expedition," Reardon said of the complaint. "There’s no connection between the two."
The Public Disclosure Commission has not received any complaints about Earling’s campaign.
Reardon’s Web site, which still contains pages saying "Aaron Reardon for Senate," also lists Boeing on a page labeled "endorsements."
But while Boeing has offered some support to Reardon’s campaign, it has not endorsed him. Boeing spokesman Chuck Cadena called it a simple misunderstanding.
"We do not endorse candidates, we support candidates," Cadena said.
"The term endorsement for us at Boeing carries a heavier connotation than the word support," he said, because endorsing one candidate over another would leave the impression that someone is more qualified than another for a position.
Earling also has his critics.
Some have highlighted his role on the governing board of Sound Transit, the much maligned transit agency.
And Ray Martin, a retired Navy officer and government activist in Edmonds, said Earling has had a "mediocre record" during his time on the Edmonds Council.
Martin said Earling violated a campaign promise he made when he ran for the council by voting to increase building heights in the city.
"Land use has never been worse" in Edmonds, Martin said. "The developers are running amok."
Earling said his vote on changing height limits only applied to a part of town where it would not obstruct views of Puget Sound.
"The only place I voted for a height increase was in the Unocal site," he said.
Earling also defended his role on the Sound Transit board.
"I’m the one that shut down the light rail project," he said, recalling how he asked for the project to be halted after estimates for the Capitol Hill tunnel came in $200 million higher than anticipated.
The stakes of the race are high.
The winner will lead a county government with more than 2,700 employees and an annual general fund budget of $172 million. Snohomish County is the 13th largest county in the state in terms of area, but the third largest in population. Almost half of the population lives outside of cities.
Reardon counts as his supporters outgoing Democratic executive Bob Drewel, who can’t run again because of term limits, as well as the Snohomish County Labor Council and the Sierra Club.
Earling is endorsed by 11 mayors of Snohomish County cities, the Snohomish County Farm Bureau and Washington Conservation Voters, a group that fights for the environment and battles suburban sprawl.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@heraldnet.com.
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