News clips about Senate Republicans and our candidates

From The Seattle Times: Published July 20, 2008
Gregoire's office budget shot up

Few state offices have seen their budgets grow as much as the one closest to the governor.

Her own.

The governor's-office budget has more than doubled under Gregoire, to about $73 million for the 2007-09 biennium.

From The Seattle Times: Published July 20, 2008
How state spending rose $8 billion under Gregoire

As much as anything, Gov. Christine Gregoire's first term in office is notable for one number: $8 billion.That's how much state spending has increased since Gregoire, a Democrat, was elected in 2004.

From The Seattle Times: Published July 20, 2008
Tax increases brought in cash

Gregoire and the state Legislature have approved tax increases that total about $150 million a year and reinstated an estate tax that brings in another $100 million annually.

From The Olympian: Published July 10, 2008
Family Leave Spending Criticized

The state Information Services Board has approved spending $3.1 million in taxpayer money on a banking computer that might never be used, critics say.

As part of the state's paid-family-leave program, the computer would be set up to deliver checks of up to $250 a week for five weeks to new parents who take time off work. However, lawmakers have not decided how those payments would be funded.

Because of that, the project's chances of success are "vanishingly small," said Ross Hunter, D-Medina, a lawmaker who serves on the Information Services Board. He failed to persuade other members to withhold the cash.

"Since the Legislature can't seem to agree on a funding source, the big risk is that they will have a big (computer) system will never use," added Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County.

From The Olympian: Published July 6, 2008
Senator takes aim at Health funds

The state Department of Health found itself under the "Watching Your Tax Dollars" spotlight last week, when a state senator questioned two of its contracts.

Sen. Mark Schoesler, the Senate Republican floor leader, used his publication to highlight a $6,000 agency contract to a communications coach, and a $1.1 million convenience contract with an event planning company.

The convenience contract with Preferred Planners allows the company to plan events without the agency sending each event to bid. It began in 2005 with an $800,000 limit for two years and has been renewed twice on a one-year basis.

"I'm not ready to add this event management contract to the examples of wasteful spending, but it certainly looks like something worth watching, and I may have some pointed questions for the Department of Health next year." Schoesler wrote.

From The Columbian: Published June 24, 2008
Legislator rebukes children's agency

The agency that administers Washington's programs for children and families is facing renewed election-year pressure over how well it protects vulnerable children.

The Children's Administration supervises about 10,300 children in foster care and handles 76,000 reports annually of child abuse and neglect.

The agency recently opted out of seeking accreditation that would have imposed strict national standards for supervising children in foster care and responding to reports of child abuse and neglect.

The decision may violate a directive from the 2001 Legislature, said Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington. It comes as the agency prepares to go to court Monday to defend itself against accusations it is not complying with the settlement of a previous lawsuit. That long-running lawsuit accuses the state of failing to protect foster children.

From The Columbian: Published June 21, 2008
Bad idea gets worse

When state revenue forecasters announced on Thursday that the treasury will take a $167 million revenue hit over the next three years because of the economic slump, one of our first thoughts was the unresolved paid family leave bill. The only good thing that can be said about this turkey is that it's unresolved. It should be dropped.

Taxpayers, too, are burdened by the economic slump, and expecting them to pony up for paid family leave just doesn't make sense. Even in good economic times, legislators couldn't find a way to fund the paid family leave bill. The most absurd reality: In some cases, it would require workers who aren't well off to finance personal days for people who are. Aside from this backward thinking, choosing to start a family carries with it a responsibility to handle the monetary burden.

Government safety nets (unpaid family leave) already are set up to help families. Federal law requires businesses with 50 or more employees to give workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical or family leave per year. It's a good system. Many private employers kick in some paid leave during those weeks. That's fantastic. Recent studies show that the federal leave law has helped play a role in job retention for women.

Everyone likes to see families thrive. And taking time off of work to care for a newborn is essential. While the Legislature should be praised for its good intentions, it has to be chided for its pie-in-the-sky proposal.

The new law would pay a new parent taking time off work $250 for up to five weeks - regardless of his or her monetary need or salary level. One early funding idea was to tax all workers.

But funding problems abound even two years after the bill's passage. A task force was created to decide who should administer the program, how costs could be minimized and how to pay for it. But the team could not figure it out. And Gov. Chris Gregoire's opposition to using general funds to pay the benefits leaves the misguided program in a pickle. Instead of more task force meetings and false promises to prospective parents, lawmakers should do away with the notion of paid family leave.

The Columbian: Published June 20, 2008
In Our View: A "soft freeze"

There's never a good time for an economic downturn, but in an election year they are nasty on a second level: The causes that are cited and solutions that are proposed are politically suspect. We wonder if the persons and organizations issuing their thoughts truly hope to fix things, or at least keep them from getting worse? Or are they just angling to get someone elected or deposed?

There's no doubt that state Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, who is the top Republican on the Senate budget-writing committee, wants to see Gov. Chris Gregoire ousted by voters this year and replaced by Republican Dino Rossi. That should be kept in mind by anyone who ponders Zarelli's proposal Wednesday for a "soft hiring freeze" in state government in order to head off massive fiscal agony for the state. The same goes for a statement Thursday from Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, top Republican on the House Finance Committee.

That caution about their motives and timing duly noted, we think they are right to ring the alarm bell on state spending, and we think Zarelli offers a sensible approach to limiting the damage the economic woes can do to state government and all it seeks to do for the people of Washington. In short: Gregoire should give every consideration to the soft hiring freeze proposed by Zarelli.

With exceptions for teachers, college faculties, public safety personnel and state agencies that help the vulnerable, and departments such as transportation that are not funded by the regular operating budget, Zarelli says that for the next 12 months the state should replace only one of every four departing employees.

He projects that would "shrink state government" by 1,927 full-time positions. The new employment level should become the state's employment base even when good times return, he said.

He proposes additional steps, including cuts in travel, equipment and supply purchases and outside contracts, all of which he says are way up in the past two years.

Zarelli's opponent in his re-election bid, Jon Haugen, said he, too, believes "it makes sense not to hire more people" at a time state income is dropping. "We do need to tighten our belt, just like the people in Clark and Cowlitz county" are doing.

Politically motivated or not, a "soft hiring freeze" looks like a good idea.

From The Everett Herald: Published June 18, 2008
Disintegrating Revenue Makes Budget Biggest Issue

Tomorrow the economic and revenue forecast council releases its estimate of how much money state government has to spend. It's a little like Groundhog Day without the top hats and Punxsutawney Phil. Unlike groundhogs, however, the state economists emerge from their burrows four times a year to make their forecasts.

These days there's little joy in the fiscal numbers. Last February forecasters sliced more than $425 million from projected revenue collections in 2007-2009. Little has improved since then.

Last week the forecast council's interim director reported that regular collections were $4 million below forecast for the four months since February. That's just 0.1 percent, not bad, but still sliding south.

Absent an imminent tax vote, most people don't pay much attention to state budgets. Inattention invites mischief. This year, the state budget should be the dominant issue in legislative and gubernatorial politics. If it takes a threatened tax hike to spark voter interest, sparks should be flying.

From The Olympian: Published June 18, 2008
Stevens blasts Children's Admin on accreditation

Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, was out when we caught up with the reaction to the Children's Administration decision not to continue its seven-year quest for accreditation. Now she's back, and how:

In 2001 the Legislature mandated that the DSHS seek national accreditation. Now, when the Children's Administration sees that it cannot make the grade, the agency simply quits? That’s not their decision. It's the law. This is exactly why the plaintiffs in the Braam lawsuit are again suing the state to enforce the terms of their settlement agreement, which calls for measurable improvements in CPS case handling. The governor owes it to the children of Washington to hold the DSHS accountable and do whatever it takes to attain accreditation.

That's from her press release this morning, which also includes a long list of the more notorious incidents of child neglect that went unstopped by Children's. Steven, who has proposed splitting Children's into its own agency, lays it at the feet of Gov. Chris Gregoire:

Now the Children's Administration has quit the one process that could have guaranteed performance. Frankly, that's illegal. The governor is duty-bound - not to mention legally bound - to require that DSHS pursue accreditation. The children of Washington deserve excellence, not incompetence.

Don't know how much impact this will have, but credit as always to Stevens for laying it down in no uncertain terms.

SULTAN -- Former Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser pleaded guilty today to providing false information to a public servant, a gross misdemeanor.

A Whatcom County district court judge ordered Walser to do 240 hours of community service and pay the city of Sultan $20,000. Walser also will be on probation for a year and be required to check in with the court periodically, said Warren Page, the deputy prosecutor who handled the case in Whatcom County.

The state's economy grew 4.3 percent in 2007. As Seattle P-I reporter Dan Richman reports, that's good, but it's been better.

Washington's 2007 growth rate -- better than its 2006 growth rate of 3.5 percent, but down from 2005's 5.1 percent -- tied with that of the District of Columbia for the third-highest in the nation.

We'll have to grow a lot faster than that to overcome the projected $2.5 billion shortfall the nonpartisan Senate Ways and Means Committee identifies for the coming biennium. And lately, reports of budget crunches abound, with the state's largest county facing a $70 million shortfall.

Rising gas prices are adding to the budget challenges facing state and local government. So the $7 a barrel jump in oil prices suggests that the projected shortfalls may be understated.

And if that's not enough to cause concern, Rep. Dave Quall offers a Seattle Times op-ed calling for substantial increases in education spending.

In the upcoming 2009 legislative session, we must update our definition of "basic education," figure out what it will cost (it will be an enormous number), and come up with a completely new funding system to make it happen.

A completely new funding system? However you slice it, that means either an increase in existing taxes or a new tax (income?). With a predicted multibillion dollar hole in the state budget and cash-strapped taxpayers dealing with increases in the cost of, well, everything (mortgages, rents, food, gas), where's that coming from? Businesses here also see the cost of everything increasing, including one of the nation's highest tax burdens. And, as Quall notes, it's not as if the state hasn't been stepping up education funding.

More than 40 percent of our state budget goes to K-12 education. That's more than any other state program. In the past two years alone, legislators invested $1 billion additional dollars in K-12 education.

So, add "an enormous number" to $2.5 billion shortfall and you get a tax hike the likes of which we've never seen before. If that's what lawmakers are proposing, it's time to be clear about it.

LINK

From The Seattle Times: Published May 18, 2008
How Washington's ferry system got into a mess with no easy fix in sight

PORT TOWNSEND - Walk into almost any store along the waterfront here and you'll find owners worrying about the future. Tourism has been down, and so are profits.

They say business has suffered since the state abruptly scrapped its Steel Electric Class ferries late last year because of corroded hulls, leaving the town without a car ferry to Whidbey Island for more than two months. With summer approaching, partial service has been restored, but it could be years before things get back to normal.

Shop owners pin a lot of their troubles on one state agency: "The ferry system let us down," said Teresa Verraes, owner of an art shop, Artisans on Taylor.

The agency had spent years pursuing a plan to replace the 80-year-old Steel Electric boats, but it collapsed in the face of community opposition. When the boats were pulled, the only immediate backup was a smaller, passenger-only ferry.

FromThe Whidbey Examiner: Published May 16, 2008
Senator's district office criticized

Republican criticism last week of Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen's new district office in Oak Harbor makes it clearer than ever that election season is under way.

In a press release last week, Washington State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser chided Haugen for opening what he said is a re-election campaign office.

From the Whidbey News Times: Published May 10, 2008
Senator Haugen's Oak Harbor office called political

A taxpayer-funded office in the heart of her election opponent's territory has put State Sen. Marry Margaret Haugen under political fire.

Haugen, D-Camano Island, is set to formally launch her Oak Harbor office Wednesday afternoon, May 21, with on open house at 1901 SE Dock St., Suite 4.

Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser sent out a news release Thursday calling Haugen's new office "one of the most blatant uses of taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes" he has ever seen.

Esser estimates Haugen's office in Oak Harbor will cost taxpayers $58,000 a year, and claimed Senate Democrats gave Haugen "a publicly-funded campaign operative."

That person is Haugen's new "managing legislative assistant," Oak Harbor resident Gina Bull, who will staff the senator's office in town. Bull formerly ran unsuccessfully for the State House as a Democrat. She later went to work for former Republican Rep. Chris Strow, who was trying to show his bipartisanship by hiring a Democrat.

From the Everett Herald: Published May 9, 2008
Democratic candidate facing criminal charge

The Democratic challenger to Republican Sen. Val Stevens is facing a challenge of his own.

Fred Walser, the former Sultan police chief and retired state trooper, was charged Thursday with providing false information to a public servant. It is a gross misdemeanor.

The single charge stems from his job in Sultan and is the result of months of investigation compiled into an 800-page police report.

Senator may win fight to overturn tax initiative

On Election Day in November 2007, the majority of Washington State voters passed Initiative 960, which states that the Legislature must have a two-thirds majority to increase taxes and spend the people's money. Since our elected officials were hired by and work for the people who elected them, you would think this was a pretty simple order to follow. We hired you, so here is what we want you to do.

Apparently not. State Senate Democrat Majority Leader Lisa Brown has filed a lawsuit to overturn Initiative 960, keeping it the purview of the state Democrats to raise taxes when they want and anyway they want. Their view is this: A simple majority is all that should be needed to raise taxes and a two-thirds majority is unnecessary. By the way, Democrats hold a simple majority in both houses of the Legislature.

Brown is serious about this lawsuit and so are other Democratic elected officials who want her to succeed. To be honest, I can clearly understand their point for the following reasons:

- Democrats just passed a budget that calls for $850 million in increased spending.

- Democrats have increased spending approximately 33 percent in the last four years.

- State spending is averaging around 17 percent per year, while revenues average about 6 percent per year.

- State budget forecasters are predicting a $2 billion deficit for 2009/2010.

- Democrats, especially House Majority Leader Frank Chopp, are already talking about raising taxes significantly next year.

- Democrats don't hold a two-thirds majority in either the Senate or House of Representatives.

What all of this means is that we are facing a $2 billion deficit; Democrats want to tax their way out of this mess; and, they know the Republicans won't help them by supporting tax increases.

Will Brown be victorious in this effort? Most likely. Admittedly, there are times and good reasons why certain initiatives should be held unconstitutional in order to keep bad laws off the books and from injuring the people they are suppose to protect. This is clearly not one of those issues or one of those times.

We keep hearing from our elected officials - or, if you will, our employees — about how the will of the people must prevail, especially when it comes to special issues and projects they support. But when there is a difference of opinions or wants, then what? That old standby of court rulings, bureaucratic resistance and legislative procedure provides the necessary cover for our elected officials to do what they want and when they want all in the name of you and me.

It seems troubling that our elected officials are the only employees we hire who don't have to listen to us, believe it is their right to do whatever they want and can spend our money without regard for how we feel about it.

The good news to all of this is that this year we can tell Brown and others like her who don't care about us, "It's time for a change. You're fired!"

From the Olympian: Published April 10, 2008
Democrats dug family-leave hole

Here's a little advice to Democrats: When you've dug yourselves into a hole, stop digging.

Democratic lawmakers have totally mishandled efforts to create a family-leave law in this state.

They created a program in 2007 that gives employees paid time off to care for a newborn or adopted child. Lawmakers, however, were unable to figure out how to cover the $40 million to $45 million in annual costs for the family-leave program.

Legislators booted the funding decision to the 2008 Legislature, where they promptly stumbled again. The session is over and there's still no funding source to cover the $45 million in annual expenses. Legislators did decide to go ahead and spend millions of dollars on a new computer system to operate the family-leave program even though that computer system might never be used.

It's time to stop digging.

Democrats who have strong majorities in the House and Senate and control the Governor's Mansion have opened up themselves for criticism from the public and from Republicans, who were happy to oblige. Republicans railed against the spending on the computer system, saying the Democrats want to claim that they've started the programs in an election year, but don't want to pay for the program.

Those are legitimate concerns.

The Legislature has wrestled with the family-leave issue for two years. A broad coalition of health professionals, parental advocates, unions, seniors and others came to the Legislature with a sweeping family-leave proposal. They pushed a bill that would have not only given parents time off from work to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, but also allowed workers to take paid family leave to care for a seriously ill family member. That proposal was well received in the Senate but was shot down by in the state House of Representatives.

What finally emerged from the 2007 session was a much-watered-down bill that called for the creation of a paid family-leave program effective in October 2009 that was restricted to new parents. Under the law, employers with 25 or more employees are required to hold workers' jobs open while they are on leave, after they've been employed for a certain amount of time.

It's a noble program, but without a funding source it is little more than empty rhetoric. Because the funding issue is still unresolved, there is serious doubt whether the program will begin in 2009 as scheduled. Simply put, the 2009 Legislature must come up with the dollars or jeopardize the family-leave program.

Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, champion for family leave, said a funding solution will be found in the 2009 session.

Don't count on it. We've heard that before. Besides, most of the funding talk has centered on a payroll tax. Gov. Chris Gregoire has drawn a line in the sand saying any payroll tax must first be put to a vote of the public.

So when Democrats are on the campaign trail this summer and fall and they tout their creation of the family-leave law, ask them how they're going to pay for it.

Then stand back and watch them dig.

April 9, 2008Kitsap Sun

PAM DZAMA:
Pre-Election, Legislators Dodged Hot Issues

In a dazzling display of spinelessness, Democrats in the Legislature managed to push most of the important and contentious issues they faced in January into the next session.

Since November's election will decide the make-up of the Legislature, I'm hoping the gubernatorial challenger, Republican Dino Rossi, will continue to remind voters of the irresponsibility of the majority party currently controlling Olympia. With a looming budget deficit in sight, it's imperative to elect legislators who recognize the real priorities of government, and actually govern with those principles in mind, instead of pandering and rewarding their various constituencies from labor unions to trial lawyers.

Realizing the precarious nature of the state's finances, I found it odd that a bill signed into law by the governor this year, would, with voter approval, move the state toward public financing of some local campaigns. Rep. Mark Milaca, D- Federal Way, said, "By making sure that the common people can support and have a fair election, races will not be decided by the person with the biggest checkbook. Checkbook democracy is the wrong kind of democracy." In this case, it's the "common" taxpayers' who fund the checkbook, so I guess he's fine with that. With all the pressing issues facing the state, this is the last use of taxpayer dollars I'd support.

Like many Democratic governors, Chris Gregoire has called on the federal government to fund some state and local projects currently short on financing. Reminiscent of the good-old-days of public-works programs, she's come up with over $400 million in projects. Included are $4 million for the Bremerton boardwalk and another $1 million for the site of the notorious Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED). Some in Congress, including Kitsap's own Rep. Norm Dicks, failed to get infrastructure funding included in the previously passed economic stimulus bill, so this trolling-for-dollars is the current approach employed by politicians showing little fiscal discipline.

Why should taxpayers in other states fund Bremerton's beautification project or the Port of Bremerton's experiment with SEED, when local taxpayers aren't willing to do so? Additionally, all of this money would be borrowed. Is it prudent to increase the federal deficit to fund a myriad of parochial local projects? Counter-intuitively the answer may be yes, if you're a Democrat looking for reasons to increase taxes.

A myriad of important issues facing the state went unresolved this past legislative session. Included in this expensive list of items is ferry funding; a multi-billion-dollar backlog of road and bridge projects, including tolling options; cleanup of Puget Sound; property tax relief and how to fund the paid family leave program set to begin in October, 2009.

This last item ? family leave ? demonstrates the truly undisciplined thinking that goes on in the minds of some elected representatives in Olympia. READ MORE>

Everett Herald: Wednesday, April 9, 2008
State voters will face stark contrasts in November
By Richard S. Davis

Successful campaigns appeal to our aspirations, promising better times ahead. From Bill Clinton's "don't stop thinking about tomorrow" to Barack Obama's "audacity of hope," would-be change agents look forward. Successful office-holders also highlight the next day's opportunities, as Ronald Reagan did with "morning in America" in his bid for re-election in 1984.

But despite the rally music and filtered sunrises, each election amounts to a referendum on the present, on the policies and programs of the incumbent majority.

In their rematch, Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi face challenges quite different from those posed in their 2004 contest. Gregoire will run on her gubernatorial accomplishments. Rossi must simultaneously challenge that record and sell us on his alternative future.

Across the state, campaigning legislators will either tout or trash the legislative legacy to win support. Democrats will pledge to fulfill their commitments. Republicans will promise necessary midcourse corrections. ...

Senate Republicans promote what they call the "punt list" of items Democrats kicked into 2009. The budget tops the list, which also includes family leave funding, property tax relief and health-care reform.

True, the majority left a lot undone, but they placed significant markers on the road to a greatly enlarged role for state government. Rather than kicking the ball away, the majority lit long fuses, strategically staggering the policy rollout -- nothing too shocking at one time. But there's no mistaking the agenda or their commitment to see it completed.

READ MORE>

Senate Democrats Take I-960 to Court and Prepare for Tax Increases in 2009

Senate Democrats announced yesterday plans to try to overturn Initiative 960, paving the way for massive tax increases in 2009. Senate Democrat Leader Lisa Brown is suing Democrat Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, asking the courts to invalidate I-960's provision requiring a two-thirds majority to raise taxes.

This is more than a theoretical legal debate. The Democrats have spent themselves into a hole and know that they must have tax increases next year to sustain this level of spending. Frank Chopp said as much in this AP story. After two years an initiative can be overturned by a simple majority of the Legislature, but in 2009 a two-thirds vote would be required.

So Sen. Brown, hungry for more tax revenue, is headed for court. Here's the AP news story:

I-960 tax limits at center of lawsuit
RACHEL LA CORTE; The Associated Press. Published: March 3rd, 2008 01:00 AM
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said Sunday that she will sue in a bid to overturn the tax-limiting provisions of Initiative 960, a Tim Eyman-sponsored measure aimed at curbing the Legislature?s power to raise taxes.
The lawsuit, which is technically against Lt. Gov. Brad Owen over a Senate floor ruling upholding I-960, will be filed today with the state Supreme Court.

I-960 reaffirmed higher vote thresholds for tax hikes and was passed by voters in November. It requires that all state tax votes take a two-thirds vote in both houses. That was previously mandated by I-601, passed in 1993, which lawmakers have amended and even suspended at times. Under the initiative, taxes passed with only a simple majority have to go to the ballot for ratification.

Brown told The Associated Press on Sunday that the two-thirds requirement is ?clearly unconstitutional.?

?This isn?t about 960, and this isn?t about undoing the will of the people,? Brown said. ?This is about defending the constitution and the Legislature?s ability to pass laws under the constitution.? READ MORE>

Becker Running Against Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen

March 3, 2008

Senate Republicans continue to add strong candidates to their roster for 2008 as Randi Becker has announced against longtime Senator Marilyn Rasmussen from South Pierce County's 2nd Legislative District.

The Second Legislative District also contains parts of Thurston County, including Yelm and Rainier. It has continually elected Republican members of the state House and given statewide Republicans clear majorities in the district.

The rapidly changing area that once featured cow pastures and logging operations now is home to rapidly growing suburbs choked off from the rest of Puget Sound by inadequate transportation infrastructure.

Randi's press announcement:

(EATONVILE) -- Randi Becker announced today that she is running for the Second District State Senate seat now held by Marilyn Rasmussen. Becker said she wants to protect taxpayers and bring new energy and vitality to the Legislature.

“People who work for a living need a voice in our state government,” Becker said, noting that state spending has increased thirty-three percent in the past four years.

“When you look at the traffic bottlenecks, bad infrastructure, and schools that are struggling in Pierce County, you can see that we need new leadership,” she said.

“For seven years I commuted between Eatonville and the South Hill through some of the worst traffic in Washington. It shows a neglect on the part of our elected officials that is unforgivable. We have broken a promise to our children and grandchildren to prepare the way for them.”

Becker, a Republican, is a retired medical administrator who has lived in Southeast Pierce County for the past 35 years. She is active in local community affairs and issues important to the medical community.

Becker has been weighing a race for the past couple of months and visited the State Senate during the recent special session.

“It was great to meet with Senators and get such strong encouragement from so many of them,” Becker said.

The Second district is generally a Republican area, with two Republican state House members. Dino Rossi and Rob McKenna both won the area with over fifty-six percent of the vote. The rapidly changing area includes tens of thousands of new homes in Southeast Pierce County, including Eatonville, Graham, Roy, Orting, and parts of Spanaway. Thurston County’s Yelm area is also in the district.

“I am running because people from the medical community, from the business community and from the party approached me and asked if I’d being willing to serve. I have a passion about how our tax dollars are being spent and I’m determined to run hard and win.”

Becker said she thought the race would require raising $100,000 in local contributions and meeting 20,000 voters at their homes.

“I’m all set to begin walking door-to-door to meet with people and hear their concerns firsthand,” Becker said. The key to leadership, she said, was being a good listener and encouraging people to find common solutions.

Becker said she is a member of the National Rifle Association and conservative on social issues, “just like most of the district,” but listed wasteful government spending, transportation and education as her top priorities.

“This district has changed a great deal in the past five years. It’s not a farm district anymore. It’s suburban and it’s growing fast. We need new leadership that is up to the challenge.”

Randi and her husband of 35 years, Bob, live on a twenty-acre farm near Eatonville. They have two grown daughters.

Linda Haddon Running
This week's update focuses on Republican Senate Candidate Linda Haddon who is taking on Democrat Senator Mary Margaret Haugen. The incumbent won her last election with only 50.1% of the vote.

This time, she is chair of the Senate Transportation Committee during a transportation crisis in Washington, and in her own legislative district.

Island County is the largest part of the district, which includes Whidbey Island and is served by the largest ferry fleet in the United States. In November, three ferries were pulled from service without warning, leaving parts of the Island stranded just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

The public was outraged as they learned the "steel electric" boats were 80 years old and rusted away to the point of being unsafe. Worse, the democratic majority had sleep-walked into the mess, waiting until 2003 to authorize funds for new ferries and then sitting idly by while the clock ticked away for four years ... Without even a boat design completed.

Letters to the editor and paid advertisements about the ferry issue ran in the local newspapers.

Linda Haddon announced her bid for office last week. We're reproducing the story from the South Whidbey Record, along with the editorial cartoon attacking Haugen from the Whidbey News-Times.

Linda Haddon is off to a good start, in what is likely to be the hottest legislative race of the year.

Read More

Need exists for special session to put cap on taxes
Set the limit at 1 percent and then send the legislators back home.

Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. November 24, 2007

Too often, a call for a special session of the Legislature is more about political posturing than about dealing with an emergency.

With Gov. Chris Gregoire's call for a special session on Nov. 29 to reinstate a 1 percent property tax increase cap, she got it right.

Some city and county officials around the state have indicated that because the initiative was tossed out by the state Supreme Court they were going to consider property tax increases above the cap.

So the need is there, the topic is concise and there seems to be agreement among legislators that it can be handled in one day. Even better, legislators were already going to be in Olympia for a week of committee hearings.

Read More

Olympia braces for effect of Eyman's I-960
Measure adds host of rules for raising taxes

Seattle P-I. November 10, 2007

OLYMPIA -- Big changes may be coming to the Legislature after voters approved Tim Eyman's new initiative making it harder for legislators to raise taxes.

Initiative 960 could also provide a valuable new tool to candidates challenging incumbents.

Read More