By The Herald Editorial Board
Departures in recent years by veteran lawmakers have brought relatively new leadership to the 39th Legislative District — which spans the rural eastern portions of Skagit, Snohomish and King counties, and includes the cities of Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Arlington, Darrington, Granite Falls, Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Index and Skykomish. Even so, the rural district has remained in Republican hands for the last 18 years.
The Senate seat and both House seats are up for election this year.
Senate
Sen. Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley, is running for reelection against Kathryn Lewandowsky of the Progressive Party.
Lewandowsky, an Arlington resident, has work experience as a registered nurse in oncology, critical care, hospice and administration and also has served in union leadership positions. Lewandowsky did not respond to requests emailed to her campaign for an interview.
Wagoner was appointed to the district in 2018 as the unanimous choice of county commissioners from the three counties, and won election that year to complete the unexpired term. He is now running for a full four-year term.
Wagoner, raised on an Alger farm, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Marine Corps and Navy as an aviator and helicopter pilot. Following his retirement at the rank of commander, Wagoner returned to the district in 2007, serving as mayor of Sedro-Woolley and on its city council.
The editorial board endorsed Wagoner in his 2018 run because he quickly demonstrated an ability to earn bipartisan support for bills he sponsored, legislation based on good government principles and in the interests of his district and the state. Wagoner has continued that record, and it’s earned him appointments as ranking member of the behavioral health subcommittee and to the committees on early learning and K-12 education and ways and means.
Among legislation for which he was the prime sponsor this year was a bill unanimously passed by Senate and House that established minimum job qualifications for the position of prison medical director within the Department of Corrections. Another bill, which he co-sponsored with Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, sought to require full body scanners at DOC facilities in Monroe and elsewhere, to provide better protection for staff and inmates and reduce the need for invasive searches. While the bill itself did not pass, the Legislature funded the scanners in the budget, but the program ultimately was one of the cuts made by Gov. Jay Inslee in response to the projected revenue losses from the coronavirus pandemic.
Wagoner, during an interview with the editorial board in late September, said the loss of the program was a disappointment, but he understood the necessity of that cut and others. Wagoner, in fact, said he backed the cuts the governor has made, though he maintains the Legislature should have been called into special session earlier, in order to weigh in on the budget and other matters.
“The Legislature has the responsibility to fund the government and say where the money’s spent; not the governor,” Wagoner said.
To that end, Wagoner said, the Legislature will have to take care with the cuts it makes to address a now estimated $4.5 billion revenue shortfall. Cuts will have to avoid the most vulnerable, he said, in particular the elderly, disabled and recent improvements in mental health services.
Wagoner has proved himself an effective legislator and deserves a full four years to build on his record.
House, Position 1
Incumbent Rep. Robert Sutherland, R-Granite Falls, is challenged by Democrat Claus Joens of Marblemont.
Sutherland, after unsuccessful runs for a range of public offices, won his seat in 2018. Sutherland is a U.S. Air Force veteran and biochemist who has worked on cancer drug development.
Joens teaches business education at Concrete High School and has earned certification as a principal from the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Two years ago he ran against Wagoner for the district’s Senate post.
The candidates, interviewed jointly, differ widely on the state’s response to the pandemic and how to address the budget shortfall. Sutherland, who has drafted unsuccessful legislation to severely cut the state’s property tax for schools — even after passage of bipartisan legislation to meet a state Supreme Court education funding mandate — said he supports cuts and no new taxes to balance the budget. Joens supports adoption of additional revenue and avoidance of cuts, noting that most cuts would mean the loss of jobs for state employees, creating hardship for those families and slowing the recovery, as was seen following the state’s cuts in response to the Great Recession.
Claus differs even with fellow Democrats on the need for a special session, noting that the governor has done a good job during a difficult time and that no legislator in either party has proposed an effective alternative to what Inlsee has done thus far.
Sutherland has been very critical of the governor; famously so.
In April, Sutherland was one of several Republican lawmakers and others who rallied against Inslee’s early “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” orders and appeals to wear face masks. During his address, Sutherland warned what would happen if he and others wanted to go fishing in violation of the orders: “You send your goons with guns, we will defend ourselves,” he said.
Sutherland’s attempts to put his threat — and the apparent insult of state game wardens and State Patrol troopers — into context in coverage that followed and in his interview have not been convincing. Sutherland has very little proposed legislation, none of it successful, to show for his two years in the House, calling into question his ability to work within his own party, let alone with Democrats.
Claus has the demeanor and perspective to serve his district and seek consensus on the issues that will confront the Legislature during the next two years.
House, Position 2
Rep. Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan, was appointed to her seat in 2017 to fill a vacancy and is running for her second full term. She is challenged by Democrat Ryan Johnson of Arlington.
Johnson, a former Navy jet mechanic, is a truck driver, who during an interview prior to the primary, said he was running to offer the perspective of those whose work typically excludes them from serving as legislators. His work as a truck driver has provided perspective on transportation issues. Johnson was critical of the lack of maintenance on state highways and says adequate funding must be found for improvement projects.
He also has been active in working with area school districts on issues of school security.
Eslick, since her appointment and election, has proposed legislation on varied issues including parks, county road administration, fire district administration and youth services, including a successful bill that expanded access to adolescent behavioral health care.
Prior to joining the Legislature, Eslick served as the mayor of Sultan and was a strong voice in calling for improvements to U.S. 2 and the region’s other transportation needs. Eslick said she planned to continue that advocacy through her service on the House transportation committee. She also serves on committees for human services and early learning and the capital budget.
When selected to fill the vacancy, Eslick was the choice of 12 of 17 county council members for the three counties, but the unanimous choice of Snohomish County’s two Republicans and three Democrats, a bipartisan vote of confidence that Eslick has shown was deserved. Voters can reelect her with that same confidence.
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