The 37th Legislative District encompasses most of South Seattle that lies east of Interstate 5, including a slice of unincorporated King County.
Neither candidate for the open House Position 2 seat expressed opinions on the state budget and other key issues that dovetailed sufficiently with The Times to earn our endorsement.
Jaelynn Scott is a Democratic Socialist who is executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, which describes itself as a “Black Trans feminist organization committed to dismantling oppressive systems that disproportionately harm Black communities.”
To balance the budget, she would cut corporate tax breaks. But, she added, more taxes — especially on businesses and the wealthy — are the solution to meeting the state’s needs. She supports the untested wealth tax, a statewide payroll expense tax and a corporate income tax, among others.
“We’re just not aggressive enough on raising additional revenue,” she told the board. “I do not have a problem with the level of spending in Washington state, especially in comparison to the amount of wealth that has grown in the state.”
Given the historic state tax increases in recent years, The Times editorial board concurs with former Govs. Chris Gregoire and Gary Locke that the Legislature has a spending problem.
When it comes to finding ways to tackle the ballooning costs of lawsuits filed against the state — a total of $614 million in the last fiscal year — Scott said more money should be spent on social services and other agencies. She does not agree with capping payouts or other specific ideas. “My prioritization would be taking care of victims and making sure that we’re making them whole.”
That said, Scott is clearly thoughtful and seemingly willing to listen: “I want you to know that I’m the type of person that will sit down with all folks who are my constituents and who are concerned about the state of Washington and be engaged in conversation and learning so we can make our state better.”
Evon McCorkle, a Seattle Central College student, is running as an independent.
