At a time when the state has landed on the watch list of bond rating agencies, the budget is in deficit again despite millions in new taxes and the governor’s office sends dour notes to agencies about cuts, it’s time for a change.
Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, was elected to represent the 47th District in 2018 and has been a strong advocate for education and workforce training, but not so much for open government. She has invoked legislative privilege three times to hide whom she met with on a public safety issue.
She is a reliable vote for House Democratic budget writers’ free-spending ways. She supported the income tax on high earners without insisting on more tax relief for middle and lower-income residents. And any advocate for education should be very concerned about the underfunding of schools.
Despite billions of dollars in new taxes, K-12 education continues to be underfunded in operations, transportation and special education, according to the Washington Association of School Administrators. How schools are financed is the problem, and financing is not this Legislature’s strong suit.
Another candidate, Logan Evans, characterizes himself as a “Cascade Democrat,” a progressive who is focused on results, affordability and public safety. He is a public school teacher in Auburn.
Though he has some interesting ideas about spurring more affordable housing construction, he stumbled in a Times editorial board interview, characterizing Seattle as just four years away from becoming like Detroit. He continued the hyperbole that Seattle’s downtown is unsafe after dark, when in fact, crime has been on the decline.
Also running are Libertarian Cobi Clark, who made his career in development and as a business advocate, and Democrat Jasnoor Kaur Hans, who works at a Seattle law firm and advocates for people with disabilities.
All are qualified, but none made a strong case for serving the 47th District in Olympia.
