Voters in the 10th Legislative District, which includes Whidbey and Camano islands, the most populous part of Skagit County and the northwest corner of Snohomish County, have a deep well of talent to choose from in this year’s races for state Senate and House.
The challengers offer impressive backgrounds and good ideas grounded in common sense. All three incumbents do, too. Mostly because of the experience they bring to what promises to be a challenging legislative session, we endorse Democratic Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, and Republican Reps. Norma Smith and Barbara Bailey.
SENATE
Haugen is seeking a fifth Senate term; she also served a decade in the House. Her challenger, Oak Harbor businesswoman and civic activist Linda Haddon, says Haugen has been in Olympia too long. But that overlooks the value of having such a senior senator representing the district, especially one who chairs the important and powerful Transportation Committee. This is not the time, when the ferry system and how it’s run is in the process of an overhaul, to send leadership of that committee to another part of the state.
That’s not to say Haugen doesn’t share some of the blame for the mismanagement of ferries the past few years. Hindsight shows she should have been asking tougher questions when state and Coast Guard engineers said the 80-year-old Steel Electrics that served Keystone and Port Townsend were still safe, and when plans for replacing aging ferries were running into various delays. But the bulk of the blame lies with full-time staff whose primary job was to keep things on track.
Haugen’s experience will also help in making the tough choices needed to balance the next budget, which starts in a deep hole. She’s done it before, and we’re convinced she’s up to the task this time, too.
Haugen was a key backer of the effort to create a four-year public university to serve Snohomish, Island and Skagit counties, but has also been a key player in the stalemate over siting that stalled the effort last session. She says she’s already working with other local legislators to work out a compromise, something we’ll be watching closely.
Haddon’s interest in public policy grew out of her work on committee to save NAS Whidbey Island from closure in the early 1990s. She says she’d use her business background to bring common-sense solutions to state problems, but isn’t long on specific ideas. She’d have a steep learning curve, and would need at least a full session to get up to speed on the basics.
Haugen is experienced, savvy, tough as nails and has fought hard for the best interests of her constituents, including farmers. Voters would be smart to keep her in the Senate.
HOUSE, POSITION 1
Norma Smith, a Republican from Clinton, brought a collegial, bipartisan approach to the House this year after being appointed to replace Chris Strow, who left to work for the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Prosperity Partnership. Like Strow, Smith is a moderate Republican willing to work with majority Democrats to make a positive difference. She previously worked as a special assistant to former U.S. Rep. Jack Metcalf of Langley, and served four years on the South Whidbey School Board.
On ferries, she says the depth of the problem is “stunning.” Rather than pointing fingers, though, she says her job is to learn from the mistakes made and help move forward. She notes that there is resistance from other parts of the state to investing in the ferry system (which she notes are marine highways), and that it will take bipartisan cooperation to secure adequate funding for its future. She’ll also be a clear voice for living within the state’s revenue limits.
She’s being challenged by the impressive Tim Knue, a Conway Democrat who we found impressive two years ago, too, when he ran for Position 2 against Barbara Bailey. Knue, who grew up in Oak Harbor, has retired from a 32-year career in teaching, and is ready to devote all his time to being a legislator.
He taught high school agricultural classes, experience that gives him a good grounding in vocational education, agriculture, trade and environmental issues. He says he’d bring an independent, fiscally conservative voice to the majority-party caucus, which would clearly be helpful. If Knue wins, we’re confident he’ll serve well. Our choice of Smith is a very close call.
HOUSE, POSITION 2
Barbara Bailey has been a strong voice for economic development, trade and job creation since first being elected in 2002, and has moved up the leadership ladder. She’s now the ranking Republican on the Community and Economic Development and Trade Committee, and the assistant ranking member on the power Appropriations Committee.
She offers a counterweight and voice of restraint on new spending, believing that state government has plenty of revenue, and that lawmakers need to prioritize funding more carefully. She’s a proponent of trimming the state’s share of property taxes to help stimulate the economy.
She faces a strong challenge from Democrat Patricia Terry, a longtime nurse who earned a master’s degree in public administration at Seattle University in 2005. Terry is bright, thoughtful and has some interesting new ideas.
For example, in order to reduce the state’s reliance on business and property taxes, she suggests promoting citizen investments in bonds for state infrastructure projects, much like U.S. Savings Bonds. She believes many would do so out of a motivation to make a positive difference.
Her background in health care would be helpful in Olympia, and she’s a big proponent of accountability and measuring the performance of state agencies. This is another close call. If Terry doesn’t win, we hope she’ll look for another way to get involved in public policy.
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