By The Herald Editorial Board
Concluding The Herald Editorial Board’s recommendations for legislative races in the Aug. 2 primary:
The 21st District includes neighborhoods in Mukilteo, Lynnwood and Edmonds. The Position 2 House seat is currently held by Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, who was appointed to the position by the Snohomish County Council in 2014. She is challenged by Republican Jeff Scherrer of Lynnwood, Libertarian Bruce Guthrie of Edmonds and Mohammed Riaz Khan of Mukilteo, who stated no party preference.
The 32nd District, straddling the Snohomish-King county line, includes parts of Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Shoreline and Woodway.
Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, who first won election to the Position 1 seat in 2010, is challenged by Republican Alvin Rutledge of Edmonds and Keith Smith of Lynnwood, who stated no party preference.
Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Shoreline, is seeking re-election to the seat she first won in 1998. She is challenged by fellow Democrat Wesley Irwin of Shoreline, Republican David Schirle of Lynnwood, and Libertarian Alex Hart of Shoreline.
For the 21st District, Position 2, The Herald recommends Ortiz-Self and Guthrie for the primary.
Ortiz-Self, in her two years in the Legislature, has worked on House committees for education, early childhood education and human services and transportation. A school counselor for the Everett School District, Ortiz-Self said she has seen the importance of addressing the needs of families in ensuring student achievement. Additionally, she is concerned about the lack of behavioral health care for children and wants to increase the availability of those services and plans to offer legislation addressing related issues.
She opposes cuts to social programs to ensure education funding and instead favors a review of tax incentives to show which are effective, closing tax loopholes and consideration of a capital gains tax.
Guthrie, who is a substitute math and science teacher and former college instructor, is running as a Libertarian to offer a choice beside the two major parties.
He believes both the transportation system and state education system are failing. He opposes the expansion of Sound Transit’s light rail system and believes the money would be better spent on adding lanes to I-405 and I-5. He also is opposed to I-405’s toll lanes.
Guthrie does not see the need for new revenue for education funding and believes too much of the state’s money is spent on school administration and advocates an expansion of charter schools.
He is opposed to a state income tax and further tax increases; additional needs would have to be addressed by cuts to other programs.
For the 32nd District, Position 1, The Herald recommends Ryu and Smith for the primary.
Ryu, who was first elected to her seat in 2010, previously served on the Shoreline City Council. A member of the House finance committee, she opposed legislation that would have loosened regulations on payday lenders.
Ryu sees levy reform as crucial to eliminating economic disparity and promoting educational quality among school districts. Current revenue is not sufficient to provide ample education funding, she said, and believes the state relies too heavily on sales taxes and the business and occupation tax. She supports closing tax loopholes and a capital gains tax with a limit that would exempt all but the top earners.
Smith, a 17-year resident of the county, works as a QFC store manager and volunteers his time at the Snohomish County Juvenile Court.
He would favor a repeal of toll lanes, replacing lost revenue with a modest increase in the gas tax. He believes adding lanes would best address congestion.
He sees disagreements in the estimates of what meeting the Supreme Court mandate to fund education would require and hopes for better direction from the court on what is expected. He believes existing revenue should be sufficient, but would support moving money from the capital budget to increase education spending.
For the 32nd District, Position 2, The Herald recommends Kagi and Schirle.
Schirle, a Lynnwood doctor retired from the Army, provided few details on positions, saying he would be guided by principles favoring individual liberty and limited government. Regarding transportation issues, he favors adding capacity to meet the needs of drivers.
Kagi, who worked for the county Office of Children’s Affairs before her election to the Legislature, has continued to work on education and early childhood issues, most recently sponsoring and passing the Early Start Act to increase access to early learning, and the Children’s Mental Health Bill to eliminate barriers to mental health services for children.
She opposes further cuts to the social safety net, which is still struggling to recover following the great recession. Significant revenue will be necessary to amply fund education and provide for the state’s other responsibilities, she said. She has previously sponsored legislation to close tax loopholes and create capital gains tax. Any new revenue source, she said, will have to be progressive.
Kagi says she plans to reintroduce legislation proposed previously that would require safe storage of firearms in homes where children are present. She also plans to sponsor legislation, following the report of a special commission, that would create a new Department of Children and Families.
About our primary recommendations
For the Aug. 2 primary elections, The Herald Editorial Board is recommending those legislative candidates in each race we believe are the best candidates, despite their differing positions, to move on to the Nov. 8 general election. The recommendations are based on a review of submitted statements and statements in the voters’ pamphlet.
Endorsements for legislative and other races will follow before the general election.
Previous recommendations:
The Herald endorses: Retain Olson on SnoCo PUD board
Best primary picks for Legislative District 1
Primary picks for the 10th, 39th Legislative Districts
Best primary picks for 44th Legislative District
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