The state’s tensions over a deadlocked Legislature have come to rest heavily on the 21st District. The Republican and Democratic parties have focused their energies on a race to fill a vacancy created by resignation.
Voters in the Mukilteo-Edmonds area will choose from among two Democrats, the Republican appointee, a Libertarian and a Green Party candidate on the Sept. 18 primary ballot. Only one of the two Democrats will make it to the November general election, which both parties view as key to taking control of the House of Representatives. The minor party candidates must draw at least 1 percent of the primary vote to remain on the November ballot.
In the Democratic primary, former Mukilteo Mayor Brian Sullivan is the clear choice. Sullivan brings deep experience in the community (he’s a graduate of Mariner High School) and an independent mindset that district voters should welcome. His experience as a small business person — owning a restaurant — should reinforce his tendency to take a broad perspective on the issues he stresses: traffic, education and energy.
Sullivan’s Democratic opponent, D. J. Wilson, has run an admirably active campaign. Wilson, an instructor at Edmonds Community College, focuses sharply on education and traffic issues and boasts the endorsements of a number of activist groups that can be vital in a Democratic primary. While Wilson, in his mid-20s, is bright and well-prepared (with a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University), he can’t match Sullivan in experience.
On the Republican side, voters have a very viable candidate in Joe Marine. A former Mukilteo City Council member, Marine was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Rep. Renee Radcliff. In his service since last December, Marine has shown himself to be energetic and bright. Marine, who stresses education and transportation issues, clearly has the capability to serve effectively in the Legislature.
The two other candidates are both thoughtful representatives of their party philosophies. Libertarian Michael Enquist says his candidacy gives voters a real choice and argues for opening transportation and other areas of government to private-sector initiatives. Green Party candidate Young Han points to the large amounts of money going into the district race — already more than $200,000 — as an example of what’s wrong in politics and calls for more attention to environmental and quality-of-life issues.
As voters approach the primary and, especially, the general election, they will have to give careful thought to the deadlock in Olympia. The 49-49 tie in the House of Representatives is not a good situation for setting the state on a healthy course, in transportation and other areas. As in the state’s other race, in Everett’s 38th District, voters should look at any House incumbent carefully and decide whether, despite having been part of a historically unproductive Legislature, the current officeholder is a person who can be trusted to help create solutions.
At this point, there is room for a certain amount of optimism. The candidates before voters are fully capable of engaging in an intelligent discussion of the state’s prospects for progress during the general election campaign.
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