Addressing affordability is, and will remain, the central debate of this election season. To make real dents in the state’s high cost of living will require state lawmakers who have front-line expertise in housing, education and other areas putting the most pressure on the pockets of Washingtonians.
Fortunately, voters in the 26th district, encompassing Gig Harbor, Bremerton and Port Orchard, have a candidate who brings rich, real-world experience in one of those key realms. Renee Hernandez Greenfield has spent a career lifting up the lives of the youngest state residents — and, if elected, has committed to making every legislative dollar count in that endeavor.
The Democrat is best to replace Republican Rep. Michelle Valdez, formerly Caldier, in one of the most purple legislative districts in the state.
A Port Orchard resident, Hernandez Greenfield works as a developmental specialist for infants and toddlers with disabilities at the Holly Ridge Center in Bremerton. Her more than 20 years in education includes working as a Child Protective Services investigator for the Suquamish Tribe and teaching child development at Tacoma Community College.
While she is a self-described progressive, Hernandez Greenfield unabashedly critiqued her own party for not doing enough of what she called “circling back” to scrutinize the results of legislative spending. “We don’t talk about that enough,” she told the editorial board, when it comes to how resources are used.
In a decade where many legislative priorities are failing to garner positive outcomes for Washingtonians and the Legislature is repeatedly outspending its annual budget, this is a statement that meets the moment. And given her skill set, she’s best positioned to roll up her sleeves and ensure state budget dollars are effective and can help everyday state residents.
She also committed to transparency as a potential legislator. Hernandez Greenfield told the board she would not invoke legislative privilege, the novel practice used by some lawmakers to hide emails and their business from public view.
She faces three opponents: fellow Democrat and cannabis entrepreneur Tedd Wetherbee, Republican pastor Katy Cornell and independent Randy Phillips. Hernandez Greenfield is the choice for the 26th because of her experience in education — the state’s constitutional paramount duty — and a willingness to better scrutinize the billions of dollars spent by the Legislature each year on it.
Voters should send Hernandez Greenfield to Olympia so she can take on this herculean task.
