Honest, caring, dedicated

In these times, as we prepare to vote for those who we believe can be trusted to represent us in political positions of our government, it can be challenging indeed. Often we find ourselves arriving at our decisions by choosing the candidate that we believe will hurt us the least, the lesser of two evils, so to speak.

When I voted for Mary Margaret Haugen for the position of senator I was impressed by her straight-forward attitude and the strong position she assumed on several different issues. She has proven to be the same caring person in her elected office of senator as she was while seeking and campaigning for that position.

This past year I found myself at odds with the Washington State Retirement System. They had made an error – or, I should say, several repeated errors – in their disbursing department. They were attempting to hold me accountable for their mistakes and held the position that I owed them several thousand dollars.

I wrote to Sen. Haugen, explaining the situation and forwarding past correspondence having to do with the situation. She took a very caring position and advised me in my relationship with the Washington State Retirement System. As a result, the director of that office chose to forgive the debt, agreeing that the fault was theirs entirely. What a great relief that was to a couple of old-timers just making ends meet.

I am well aware of the great help Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen has been to me and mine. I can only guess at the many things she must have accomplished for others in our state. I and mine will vote for her as long as she remains the honest, caring, dedicated person she has proven to be.

Camano Island