Election 2012: Elizabeth Scott vs. Eleanor Walters

By Polly Keary, Editor

With this issue, The Monroe Monitor concludes our Election 2012 series with a story on the levy on Gold Bar (see Valley News) and this interview with the candidates for the position of state representative for the 39th District of Washington.

The 39th District of Washington includes the Sky Valley, the areas immediately east of Lake Stevens, Marysville, Arlington and Burlington, as well as a great deal of wilderness and national park land extending to the Canadian border.

Running for this empty seat are Republican Elizabeth Scott and Democrat Eleanor Walters, neither of whom have held office before, but both of whom have been active in political groups and activities in the past.

This week, each of them responds to a questionnaire from the Monroe Monitor, sharing their strategies for addressing the most pressing issues that affect the Sky Valley.

Elizabeth Scott

Elizabeth Scott, a Republican, lives in Monroe and co-owns a small consulting business with her husband, Paul. She was a teacher of English as a Second Language for ten years to college students in four Washington community colleges, China, and the United Arab Emirates. She also worked as a research analyst on education policy for the Freedom Foundation. In high school, she farmed 80 acres of her family’s fourth-generation farm with her younger brother and sister, planning what and when to plant, treating problem areas, and deciding when to sell.

“This mix of private and public sector experience gives me a balanced perspective and an ability to see the ramifications of proposed laws,” she said.

What is the best way to stimulate job growth in the 39th District?

The fastest way to stimulate job growth in the 39th District would be to lower the small business taxes and eliminate the regulations added in the last few years. Our neighbors are telling me, “They’re killing me in Olympia! Don’t they know that every new regulation costs real money?” Regulations and taxes such as the B&O and workers’ comp have increased dramatically since 2004, making it very difficult for small businesses to keep their doors open. It’s time to get government out of the way so our state’s economy can recover.

What is the top priority unique to the 39th District?

The top concern I’ve heard on the doorstep of the 6,500 homes I’ve visited so far is the high taxes and regulations smothering our economy and potential job growth. The single greatest issue that is unique to our district, however, is traffic congestion on our particularly dangerous highways causing loss of lives, time, and productivity. I will fight to reinstate congestion relief as a top transportation policy goal, use actual consumer demand to prioritize projects, and implement the State Auditor’s recommendations that he said would save about $300 million on transportation costs.

What is the best way to support and improve education in the 39th District?

Parents should be able to ask themselves, “What’s best for this child, this year?” and be able to choose from a wide array of options. Unlike my opponent, I support charter schools, which in our state will be public schools, with public funding, certified teachers, and open to all; although the current Initiative limits the total to 40 schools. I’ll work to restore funding to ALEs (Alternative Learning Experiences) like Sky Valley Education Center, and I will oppose legislation that would harm public, private, or homeschooling options.

I’ll work to return to a Priorities of Government budget model, which would ensure funding for our core constitutional priorities of education, public safety, and caring for the vulnerable, and I will oppose unfunded mandates or limits to our choices. Furthermore, I will work to implement State Auditor Brian Sonntag’s recommendations to get more of our education dollars to the classroom.

How will you work to preserve and enhance public safety?

If we lower the taxes to spur the economy and use the Priorities of Government budget model instituted by former governor Gary Locke, we will be able to restore funding to our prisons, police and fire departments, etc. We will take 2 percent off the top of the projected revenue, set it aside for the Rainy Day Fund, and share the other 98 percent between the different departments which will then decide how to spend their share. The Department of Corrections should not have been slashed with the chainsaw-style budget cuts in 2010, putting employees and prisoners at increased risk. It is outrageous that the legislature found money to purchase more forested lands to set aside the same year it cut from public safety.

In what ways will you work to improve the district’s infrastructure?

I’ll fight for transportation dollars to go toward wider roads in this district, especially for Highway 2, as well as for van pools to transport non-drivers quickly and inexpensively. Lowering taxes on phone and cell phone usage will increase accessibility; did you know that last year, three other states had local/state cell phone taxes under 3 percent, but ours was 23 percent? You read that right. No wonder some people are telling me they can barely make ends meet. We need a smaller, smarter government that doesn’t see us as bottomless wallets, but that spends our tax dollars efficiently on our state constitutional priorities.

What is the best way to strike a balance between keeping taxes low and providing services?

Our state government’s practice of increasing the tax burden has the unfortunate result of less money coming in than was predicted; that’s why we’ve had five ‘special sessions’ in the last two years to adjust the state budget. Lower taxes will spur the economy by allowing small businesses to hire again; when people get back to work, they will purchase more products and services, which will result in more tax dollars coming in to the state coffers to fund core services. Prioritizing the budget will ensure that our tax dollars are allocated wisely, so we stop spending money on metal fish to decorate our freeways, and then claiming there’s no money for the classroom or in-home care for disabled and seniors. It’s time for a return to common sense, and prioritizing core functions of government.

Eleanor Walters

Eleanor Walters is owner of The Neutral Party, a mediation consulting company. She researches and advises clients on regulatory issues in areas of federal, state and local government entitlement programs and employment law, advises on human resource management and mediates in areas of custody/dissolution, business transactions, housing foreclosure and workplace disputes.

She earned a J.D. degree in law at Gonzaga University, business at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon, and public administration at the University of Oregon.

What is the best way to stimulate job growth in the 39th District?

Job growth is a huge priority. I will bring industry leaders together in the 39th to find ways to proactively address the challenges facing stakeholders. The challenge is to broaden our employment base while simultaneously reinforcing existing industries and businesses. The Sky Valley Chamber has a jump start on this process and is working with local businesses and government to promote recreational opportunities in the beautiful Sky Valley.

I will also reach out to a state and national business audience to promote doing business in the 39th District and hiring the longer-term unemployed. I will look to providing incentives to those who are starting businesses. Part of that, frankly, is taking a hard look at our revenue system – especially the B&O tax, which can be extremely punitive. The B & O tax needs to be eliminated or greatly changed. There’s a fairly broad consensus that favors overhauling our current tax system. The issue is always the details. So let’s roll up our sleeves, put the partisan rhetoric aside, and get to work.

What is the top priority unique to the 39th District?

There are so many priorities that it’s hard to choose just one. Education is crucial, because it represents both a way out of poverty and a road map to the future. Then there is public safety, particularly when it comes to U.S. 2 and Highway 9. I have attended U.S. Highway 2 Safety Coalition meetings over the past couple years and understand why the state needs to take the safety issues much more seriously. I will help the coalition address those needs in a big way. Of course, keeping our state solvent without eliminating vital services, focusing on the priorities of government, and working together to balance the budget are also crucial in the 39th. We’re all affected by what happens in the legislature.

What is the best way to support and improve education in the 39th District?

There aren’t any cookie-cutter solutions for education. Different communities and districts will have different needs, but should be talking to one another and sharing resources. I will join in those conversations about sharing resources among our schools in the 39th District.

I will also work to ensure K-12 education is fully funded by the legislature as mandated by our state constitution. That will involve talking with local educators, community leaders, teachers and parents to prioritize needs for our schools. My parents were both school teachers so I grew up learning just how important our educational systems are to our communities. I am also committed to work hard to advocate for affordable adult training programs. I will explore the possibility of creating vocational opportunities in the 39th LD, tapping into union apprenticeship and community college programs.

How will you work to preserve and enhance public safety?

This is where funding meets priorities. Keeping people safe is a core function of government. There is such a thing as cutting the state budget to the point where safety may well end up compromised, which means at some point we could end up with more than just a spending problem. I know that’s contrary to the popular rhetoric, but it is the truth. We need to keep local police and sheriff’s deputies on the streets. First responders such as EMTs and firefighters must have the equipment, tools, and manpower to do their job. Public safety is crucial.

In what ways will you work to improve the district’s infrastructure?

I touched on it earlier, but U.S. 2 and Highway 9 must be safe. Additionally, communities in the 39th should be able to come to me as their representative to discuss specific infrastructure needs.

What is the best way to strike a balance between keeping taxes low and providing services?

The popular refrain says we “’don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.” I find that kind of bumper sticker policy to be trite and unhelpful. The reality is government revenues have been down over the past four years due to a recessionary economy that has not yet fully returned to its prior levels. The unemployment rate and housing foreclosure rate is still too high.

In addition, the state and local governments have had to cut and slash to the point where public safety and education are being threatened. An example would be this year’s Monroe Fire District #3 levy that went before the voters in August. The levy vote was needed in order for the firefighters to merely keep a safe level of service for us. This simply cannot stand.

Although we certainly don’t need higher taxes now in my view, it will require a tough balancing act; solving the budget crisis without eliminating needed programs and without raising taxes. It can only be done by working together to find new revenue streams and to repeal tax exemptions and preferences given in prior years which do not adversely impact our residents.