Candidates pledge to ‘get things done’

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, October 21, 2006

Hopefuls for two 23rd District seats made whistle-stops at a Wednesday forum.

During the last election, debate drinking games were the rage.

Candidates uttering catch phrases like “cut and run,” “war on terror,” or “flip flop” on television required players, watching in the comfort of their own homes, to hit the bottle or drain a glass.

The attendees of Wednesday’s Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce candidate debate stuck to coffee and lemonade. But had they added a little booze to the bureaucratic banter, the oft repeated promise “to get things done” would have had the island’s business leaders tipping off their seats.

“We need a representative in this district who will get things done,” said Democrat Christine Rolfes to the crowd packed into the Wing Point Golf Club dining hall.

Rep. Beverly Woods, the incumbent Republican Rolfes hopes to unseat, said she’s done just that.

“I want to continue to work for you…because I work to get things done,” said Woods, who has represented the 23rd Legislative District for the last seven years.

What do they want to get done?

Rolfes’ to-do list was heavy on education reform, including smaller class sizes and salary boosts for teachers. Woods pledged to pull in the reins of state spending while improving the regulatory climate for small businesses.

The district’s other House race, pitting Rep. Sherry Appleton against Republican challenger Earl Johnson, also promised results over the next two-year term.

Johnson, a Bainbridge resident, said he’d work to reduce fares on state ferries and put his nearly 30 years of experience in financial markets to use for more accountable state spending.

Appleton, a Poulsbo resident and former lobbyist, said voters would continue to have a strong advocate for education and improved access to health care if they send her back to Olympia for a second term.

The debate was the second scheduled on Bainbridge before the Nov. 7 general election in which both candidates for state office took part. Woods and Appleton were absent from a forum hosted earlier this month by the local American Legion post.

Candidates at the Chamber debate did not address or challenge each other directly, but rather addressed questions from the audience.

“Things” candidates frequently pledged to “get done” included:

Economic development: “An atmosphere conducive to business is the most important thing to do,” said Woods, who promised to “ease up regulations affecting small businesses without (harming) the workforce or the environment.”

While Woods promoted her work to reform unemployment insurance, Rolfes charged that Woods cast a vote in opposition of an unemployment compensation package geared to benefit a broad range of workers.

Rolfes also mentioned Woods’ recent vote to cap a minimum wage increase.

A stronger economy, Rolfes said, could be achieved through expanded offerings at Olympic College, reduced ferry fares and tax relief for start-up businesses.

Washington State Ferries: Johnson took aim at what he calls an unfair burden WSF has placed on Bainbridge residents.

“I want to figure out how to get the rest of the state to (fund) the financial mechanisms of Washington State Ferries,” he said. Island commuters are paying more than their share at the fare box “to support the rest of the system.”

Johnson also said he “was not particularly in favor of keeping” WSF’s maintenance yard in Eagle Harbor. He asserted that WSF has not adequately taken responsibility for contaminants leftover from the yard’s former owners.

“You buy it, you own it, you fix it,” he said.

Appleton said the yard should stay put. A proposed move to Seattle would cost WSF an additional $30 million over the next 20 years and deprive the local economy of approximately $7 million per year, she said.

Rolfes opted out of taking a clear position on the ferry yard, stating that she’d work for a “win-win” solution between island residents and WSF.

Woods has long opposed the yard’s presence in the harbor, and would prefer that WSF “allow Bainbridge Island to take over the land for public use.”

Health care: Appleton said “prescription drug costs are out of sight” and must be tempered by the introduction of more generic offerings.

“The cheaper you can get it, the better,” she said.

Appleton also said “health care is a right, not a privilege,” and expressed a goal of universal health care for all state residents.

According to Johnson, the state is getting in the way of marketplace ingenuity that could mean more quality drugs and greater choice when selecting a health insurance provider.

He also said medical students are often “pigeonholed” into specialties that meet state needs, rather than their chosen course of study.

“That’s not in anybody’s interest,” he said.

Puget Sound: When asked about possible new programs to clean-up and prevent pollution in Puget Sound, Woods expressed caution, calling on greater scientific evidence to ascertain the levels of environmental harm.

“We need to make sure we have the science to correct what’s wrong and what causes the problem,” Woods said.

Rolfes said there is “a consensus that we need to do something.” She offered to support environmental programs that “get the biggest bang for the buck.”

Education: Scaled back federal and state funding for schools has placed a large burden on local jurisdictions to unfairly “shoulder the burden through levies and bonds,” said Appleton. “I’d like to look at tax reform so that we can stabilize revenues and help school districts.”

Appleton said she’d advocate for free all-day preschool next legislative session.

“If you’re not ready to learn at first grade, you’re never going to catch up,” she said. “We need to get children ready to learn. That’s the most important thing.”

Johnson said turning education system funding upside down would drain money out of administrative offices and quench classroom needs.

“There’s too much at the top line,” he said. “On a state-wide basis…we come up short (on the) money flow …because of a huge bureaucracy.”

Ballots were mailed out this week for the general election, which is Nov. 7.