MUKILTEO — Six people are running for two seats in the 21st state House district, which takes in Mukilteo and parts of Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Everett. Issues include I-405 tolling and finding ways to pay for court-mandated funding increases for public education.
The two top vote getters in each race will face off in the November general election.
In the Position 1 race, Democratic incumbent Strom Peterson is being challenged by Alex Hels, a member of the Libertarian Party.
Peterson said he’s not sure how the state can find the $4 billion that is expected to be needed in the next two-year budget to meet the requirements of the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision on funding of public schools.
“We can nibble around the edges,” he said, “but the state needs to have a serious conversation about how our tax system works or doesn’t work, especially when it comes to funding public education.” Those might include a modest capital gains tax or a carbon tax on fossil fuel emissions, he said.
Peterson said he’d like to see what additional steps can be taken to battle the opioid crisis, such as increasing the availability of treatment, especially for those who have left jail, where they may have been getting some help. Without follow-up treatment, they tend to go back to using heroin, he said.
Alex Hels has an unusual reason for running for the Legislature. “Basically I hate politics and I hate politicians,” he said.
So why does he want to join them? Hels said he figures he could either complain about things or do something.
Hels said he has no dispute with Peterson but rather his reason for running is he wants to help build the Libertarian Party.
“I tend to be about lowering taxes and government influences,” Hels said. That would start by reducing the annual pay of legislators. “It’s a part-time position,” he said.
Hels said elected office shouldn’t be a career. “It should be almost like jury duty,” he said. “You have to do it, spend your time, do your part, make your voice heard, then it’s up to someone else.”
In the Position 2 race, Democratic incumbent Lillian Ortiz-Self faces three challengers.
Bruce Gutherie said he’s running because there’s a groundswell of support for Libertarian candidates such as himself.
Gutherie said he’s doesn’t think that more money is the solution to the problems of public education. “It needs restructuring,” he said. Large organizations tend to get bloated and lose connection to the missions of their organizations, he said. “We need to clean out middle management in the schools to hire more teachers,” he said.
On transportation issues, Gutherie said he would rather see more lanes added to I-5 and I-405 rather than have the public pay for investments in light rail, such as the $54 billion Sound Transit proposal on the general election ballot. Gutherie said he also would like to eliminate I-405 tolling.
Mohammed Riaz Khan previously ran for the Mukilteo City council. He also is the person who most often speaks for the group attempting to open a mosque in Mukilteo.
Khan, an independent candidate, said his goals are education and safety, ensuring full funding of public education, reducing class sizes, and employing more teachers.
Khan said he decided to run after a decade-long frustration over heavy congestion on roads and over-crowded schools. “I feel shame that they are still asking for more time to improve,” he said. “It should not take years to do the job.”
Jeff Scherrer, a Republican, ran against Ortiz-Self in 2014. In talking with voters, Scherrer said that I-405 tolling is one of their top issues. “I can’t understand how our taxes can go to create and to allow us to use the freeways and then pay a toll after we’ve used them,” he said.
Scherrer said voters are concerned about the current and projected costs of Sound Transit’s proposed light rail expansion. He said he would favor increasing bus routes and relieving congestion by road-widening projects. The state Department of Transportation sees its job as “trip reduction, not congestion relief,” he said. “There’s many things that can be done to relieve congestion.”
Ortiz-Self said there are no easy ways to find the money needed to comply with the court mandate to fully fund public education. One method might be a capital gains tax, but aimed only at the highest such dollar amount transactions, she said.
Yet Ortiz-Self said she’s heard support from constituents for public education, who say “our best investment is in our children.”
Ortiz-Self said she’s also heard widespread support for mental health programs. “Depression and mental illness is affecting a lot of people regardless of income status, support from family and everything else,” she said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
What’s the job?
At stake is a two-year term in the state House of Representatives representing the 21th Legislative District, Position 1 and 2. The district represents part of Snohomish County including Mukilteo and parts of Lynnwood, Edmonds, and Everett. The annual salary is $46,839.
District 21 Position 1
Name: Alex Hels
Residence: Everett, WA
Age: 26
Party: Libertarian
Experience: No prior political experience
Website: www.helsforstaterep.com
Name: Strom Peterson
Residence: Edmonds
Age: 48
Party: Democrat
Experience: Owner, the Cheese Mongers Table in Edmonds. Edmonds City Council member for 5 years. State representative two years.
website: votestrom.com
Position 2
Name: Bruce Guthrie
Residence: Edmonds
Age: 53
Party: Libertarian
Experience: Substitute math and science teacher; previously worked for an ergonomic office chair company.
Website: BruceGuthrie4WA.com
Name: Mohammed Riaz Khan
Residence: Mukilteo
Age: 47
Party: Independent
Experience: Snohomish County Labor Council and WA state Labor Delegate; Budget Committee member, Mukilteo School District.
Website: www.electkhan.com
Name: Jeff Scherrer
Residence: Edmonds
Age: 63
Party: Republican
Experience: Worked in information technology, created jobs, started and grew a company that reached $5million in sales. Community activities including volunteer work in Rotary and Kiwanis.
Website: Jeff4State.com
Name: Lillian Ortiz-Self
Residence: Mukilteo
Age: 55
Party: Democrat
Experience: Three years serving as state representative; school counselor for Everett Public Schools; licensed mental health counselor.
Website: electlillian.com
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