Four candidates filed to run and serve the residents of the 5th Legislative District’s Position 1 in the state House of Representatives, which represents Eastside communities including parts of Issaquah, Maple Valley, Black Diamond and the Snoqualmie Valley.
Disappointingly, none of them made the case for The Times editorial board’s endorsement.
The Times editorial board is taking a different approach to making election recommendations this year, including an assessment of incumbents’ records in office.
Democrat Zach Hall, who was appointed to the seat when Victoria Hunt moved to the Senate, brings six years of experience from the Issaquah City Council.
Yet Hall’s priorities in state office bear too little resemblance to those of the editorial board. Notably, he voted with the Democratic caucus without pitching or pursuing any amendments to the state’s novel income tax bill — a proposal that should have included more tax relief for working Washingtonians.
Hall defended his work on legislation, including the tax, saying lawmakers “reached consensus” behind closed doors in the caucus room. He must show he’s willing to stand up on the House floor, in full public view, when necessary. On the income tax vote, many other Democrats and Republicans did just that.
Republican Michelle Bennett, currently Mercer Island’s police chief, also did not match board imperatives on a few issues. On the legislative effort this year to hold Washington’s elected sheriffs to the same standard as rank and file officers, she said she would not support removal for sheriffs who fail to do so.
A third candidate, Democrat Aimee Warmerdam, supported several new taxes at a time Washington state lawmakers have already been busy raising taxes to the tune of billions of dollars each year. A fourth candidate did not respond to be interviewed. That leaves the board without an endorsement in the race.
