Editorial: Ron Muzzall’s work warrants reelection to Senate

By The Herald Editorial Board

Its three seats once reliably in Republican control, the 10th Legislative District — which includes all of Whidbey Island, Camano Island and Stanwood, and reaches into much of Arlington as well as the southwest corner of Skagit County — has in recent years become more of a swing district.

After years of Republican leadership in the district, Rep. Dave Paul, D-Oak Harbor, was first to flip a seat there in 2018, followed in 2022 by Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Oak Harbor, who narrowly won his first campaign. Both Paul and Shavers now seek re-election, as does Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, who was appointed in 2019 and successfully ran for a full term in 2020.

The endorsement for House, Position 1, between Shavers and Republican challengers Carrie Kennedy and Yvonne Gallardo-Van Ornam, will appear in Wednesday’s Herald. For Position 2, Rep. Dave Paul, D-Oak Harbor, is challenged by Republican Gary Wray of Coupeville. The endorsement in that race will be published prior to the Nov. 5 general election.

Senate

Muzzall is challenged by Janet St. Clair, Democrat, who has served on the Island County Board of Commissioners since 2018; and Denny Sandberg, a Democrat and U.S. Navy veteran and former contractor and small business owner. All three candidates were invited to a joint interview with the editorial board; Sandberg did not respond to invitations.

St. Clair has worked as a teacher and social worker in child mental health and has served as an executive for nonprofit groups.

Muzzall, before his appointment to the Senate seat, has run a family farm that supplies local markets. He has also served as a firefighter and fire district commissioner.

St. Clair said her focus in the Legislature would be on child and family issues, including affordable housing, living wage jobs, access to behavioral health care and general health care, and protection of the environment and quality of life in the district and the state. St. Clair said if she were to win the Senate seat, she would likely step down from her county position, noting that time demands would be too great to serve in both positions.

St. Clair said her time as a county commissioner leads her to believe she shares a common concern with Muzzall regarding accountability of agencies and programs regarding behavioral health for adults and children and wants to see continued focus on those issues.

As well, she has concerns that following the reforms in response to the McCleary decision regarding state funding for K-12 education, that schools are seeing that measure of state funding again slip.

She understands, she said, what that focus on both could mean for the state budget.

“But I would ask the question, what are we going to cut?” she said. “I hope some of what we take a look at are burgeoning bureaucracies and whether or not those are serving the intention of what the Legislature did when they were funding programs.”

Muzzall said that in his first full term he’s focused on issues around agriculture and natural resources as ranking member on that committee and on environmental issues. Muzzall was primary sponsor on several successful bills regarding those and other issues. Among them were bills to remove derelict piers and other aquatic structures and restore aquatic areas; reimbursement for hospitals caring for patients that no longer needed inpatient care but where other placement wasn’t available; reforms to how Medicaid patients received long-term care support; and improvements to a program that encourages forestland owners to participate in easements to protect river areas. Muzzall, out of concern for the fentanyl crisis, also sponsored legislation to remove the paraphernalia tag placed on fentanyl test strips. That bill didn’t advance, but its provision was included in broader legislation regarding addiction and behavioral health that was adopted.

With a budget year looming next session, Muzzall said he expects lawmakers will need to take a harder look at the budget and how agencies, including the Department of Children, Youth and Families, are using resources. Muzzall believes several agencies are not giving full attention to reports from the state Auditor’s Office, and that its findings aren’t being acted on.

“We need to change the culture in Olympia when it comes to audits and get a little more responsible. The auditor’s office continues to do a good job, but we see no response from government itself,” he said.

Muzzall also has put his own bipartisan efforts into further practice, participating in Lt. Gov. Denny Heck’s civic health initiative to improve the discourse in the Legislature and elsewhere.

Muzzall and St. Clair offer voters two serious, thoughtful and experienced candidates, motivated by a desire to serve their communities.

Muzzall’s record and work has justified the choice in appointing him to succeed a veteran lawmaker, Barbara Bailey, and in the voters’ decision four years ago to confirm that choice. Muzzall can be counted on to continue that record of service with a second full term.