By Evan Smith
The three candidates for state senate position in the 1st Legislative District recently sent statements about what they think are the most important issues in this year’s election.
Democratic State Rep. Luis Moscoso, fellow Democrat Guy Palumbo and Republican Mindie Wirth are running for the position that Democratic State Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe is giving up after six four-year terms.
The three will run on the Aug. 2 primary ballot, with the top two vote getters advancing to the November general-election ballot regardless of party.
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 their statements in the order their names will appear on primary ballots and in the voters’ pamphlet:
Legislative District 1 State Senator
Mindie Wirth (Prefers Republican Party) —
Education must take center stage in our budget and policy discussions. I’ll build on the Senate’s record investments in our schools by funding education first, not last. Washington is currently the #2 importer of talent; our region must do more to give our students opportunities for great jobs here at home.
The concerns of drivers will also be my priority; I believe commuters deserve real solutions to flawed tolling programs, and accountability from government agencies. And when it comes to taxes, I’ll make sure families keep as much of their hard-earned income as possible.
Guy Palumbo (Prefers Democratic Party) —
Over the past 10 years, the 1st District has experienced explosive population growth, which is projected to continue over the next 20 years. People are moving to the 1st District for our quality of life. We have great schools, parks, open spaces and we are close to major job centers.
However, smart growth requires infrastructure investments of all kinds to maintain our community’s quality of life. Last year, the legislature passed the biggest tax increase in Washington’s history, $16 billion, to invest in our transportation network. Unfortunately, our district received less than 1 percent.
We can and must do better.
Luis Moscoso (Prefers Democratic Party) —
Education is the most important issue in this election. The legislature is under court order to meet its constitutional duty to fully fund education. My vision includes: lower class sizes; early childhood education; increasing pay and training for teachers; and working to close the achievement gap. Transportation continues to be a problem for our district – I have successfully fought for improvements to I-405 and downtown Bothell, but more needs to be done. We must also keep people safe, particularly in working to reducing the backlog of law enforcement basic training time so we can get more officers on the streets.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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