19th District Senate candidates talk transparency, police funding at online debate

Incumbent 19th District State Senator Dean Takko, D-Longview, and his two challengers in the 2020 election faced off in a debate in Wahkiakum County Wednesday.

Takko is being challenged by current Grays Harbor Commissioner Wes Cormier, R-Elma, and current Port of Ilwaco Commissioner Jeff Wilson, R-Longview.

The debate was held via Zoom and was livestreamed on YouTube. It was organized by the Republican and Democratic Subcommittee for Debates/Forums of Wahkiakum County and was moderated by Wahkiakum High School Principal Stephanie Leitz.

Each candidate was given two minutes to respond to questions during the hour-long debate, starting with a brief introduction as to why they decided to run.

Takko said he spent six-plus terms in the House before he was appointed to replace Sen. Brian Hatfield.

“I’ve spent five years there, currently chair of the local government committee,” said Takko. “I’ve had a lot of experience working with local governments and I have a passion for it, and I want to go back and work with local governments.”

Cormier said he is a “straight-shooter, not a career politician” and didn’t “speak like a politician.” He said his experience as a Grays Harbor county commissioner has given him an “understanding of what the state imposes on us at the local level, that’s what really sparked me to run for the Senate. I’m for term limits, less government, less taxes, and not only do I believe that, I have accomplished those in my second term as county commissioner.”

Wilson said he has lived in Cowlitz County for 50 years, getting his first job at age 11 “and learned hard work is really a core value to being successful in life.” At age 26 he started his first business, “and to this day that business is still providing family wage jobs.” He said he believes the current Legislature doesn’t represent the best interest of the district, and “I’m running to restore the voice of the voters, which I feel has been removed, and bring back some of the trust I believe has been removed by the Legislature over the years.”

Top priority

Cormier said his top priority if elected would be to propose term limits. “I think that passing term limits in the state, and it would be nice if the feds would do it too, would do so much for changing this career politician system that we have. I think that will go a long way.”

Wilson said his priority will be to represent the will of the district’s voters and enforce the State Constitution. “Transparency is a word that we should never take for granted,” he said. “Ghost title bills and title only bills (bill that are introduced as placeholders, with little wording as to what they are about, then amended with details later) are disrespectful to the voters.” He added that it’s clear that the current Legislature is not listening, citing examples like the comprehensive sex education bill, carbon tax discussions and the state’s fight against $30 car tab initiative passed by the voters.

Along with addressing the budget, Takko said, “one of my goals is to try to do some things with the Growth Management Act. I had a large study that was going to be done this year and the governor vetoed it trying to save some money out of the budget.” Also, “Working with counties and cities I’ll look at taking away some of the mandates on state or local money, how it has to be spent in a specific place, and give them some flexibility in how they spend it.”

Reaching across the aisle

As far as “reaching across the aisle” – working with legislators from the opposite political party – Wilson said he’s been doing that over his years as a Port of Longview commissioner. He said the current makeup of the Senate – 28 Democrats and 21 Republicans – puts “one party at an unfair advantage and gives the other a chance to bully” because they they also have Gov. Jay Inslee and the advantage in the House. “As Port Commissioner I routinely reach across the aisle with people of all walks of political life to get things done.”

Takko said his record shows a long history of working across the aisle. “Some of my best friends in the Legislature are from the other side,” he said. A lot of that work may go unnoticed, he said, because much of it relates to legislation that is introduced but because of his and others’ bipartisan work never sees the light of day in the form of a vote, like carbon tax legislation.

Cormier said his work as county commissioner, working with nine cities and 14 elected officials and department heads, has given him plenty of experience working on budgets with people of different ideologies. But when it comes to policy, “I won’t compromise my values or principles.” When it comes to more concrete issues, like the state budget, he said there is much more leeway and he will work with the entire Senate to make smart budget decisions for the benefit of the district.

Budget priorities

With budget uncertainty due to lost revenues from the COVID-19 pandemic, the candidates were asked what their budget priorities would be if elected.

Takko said a large chunk of the budget, about $53 billion, can’t be touched because of the court-ordered mandate directing the state to fully fund K-12 education. One item he’s not willing to compromise on, he said, is early childhood learning. “I’ve been a great supporter of Head Start and ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) for years,” he said. “It’s been shown dollars spent there save incredible amounts of money in education, incarceration, and medication, and in the future really have a high payoff for the money spent on early childhood education.” Protections for health care workers and others who take care of vulnerable populations are also high on his list.

Cormier said he’s a proponent of priority-based budgeting. “Look at the priorities and what’s constitutional and look at necessities like law and justice and those are the thing you are going to prioritize,” he said. He will not, under any circumstances, he said, support new taxes of any kind. “I’ve made a pledge to not raise taxes, just as I have done as a commissioner and I vote that way every year.” He said cuts are inevitable with revenue shortfalls but he won’t put that burden on the backs of businesses who have suffered due to the pandemic.

Wilson said he too would fight for a budget that gives the district a chance to catch up with the economic growth enjoyed by Seattle and King County in recent years. “We’re lagging behind and it’s because of how much the government has put in front of us, creating a hurdle for us to be successful,” he said. The key to success is removing the burdens on businesses trying to restart in the wake of the pandemic and making sure the budget is created without fixes touted by some legislators in bigger districts, like income taxes and capital gains taxes.

Police funding

“Defunding the police for me is a Marxist catch phrase,” said Cormier. “We have a right to due process and part of that is having strong law enforcement. It’s good for the business community as well, that relies on law enforcement whenever they have a 911 call when someone is breaking in. If you have a good law enforcement branch then you’ll have a strong local economy as well.” He said cries to defund police coming out of Seattle and other large cities throughout the country are “disturbing.”

Wilson said, “I’m not a supporter of defunding the police, but a police budget is like every other budget. I have no problem with defunding an unnecessary item and in return adding additional funds to ensure the police force moves into the 21st Century.” He said he’s all for police reform, but it should be done on the local level. He does not support defunding to the point where a police agency is disbanded, and he favors funding for proper police procedure training.

“Defund the police is a nice buzzword but I don’t think it’s a realistic thing,” said Takko. He said he’s been in meetings with the state association of police chiefs and sheriffs, and the Washington State Patrol, and all are willing to have conversations about changes in policing. He believes there should be a database for officers who have been disciplined for legitimate violations, so other agencies hiring would be able to see that information.

Big city policies

“This legislative district is very unique and a very special place in a number of ways,” said Wilson. He thinks the Growth Management Act needs to be reformed and that local jurisdictions should have more control over their own economic growth. “Big city policies” he would not support include the soda tax, a head tax, income tax, or capital gains tax. “One of the big city problems is it seems very simple to tax their way into recovery or success, and that’s a tried and NOT proven technique for the 19th.”

Takko said one of the frustrating things about state legislation is that policy created has to be applied equally across the state. He agrees that the Growth Management Act is in need of reform to give more leeway to local jurisdictions and has taken steps toward that, including legislation last year that streamlines the state’s cumbersome appeals process for land use decisions. A lot of a legislator’s time, he said, is spent blocking policy created by outside districts that could be harmful to the district. “It’s important to have somebody in that position to run interference,” he said.

As a county commissioner Cormier said he’s seen the negative impacts of unfunded mandates — laws and regulations created by the state that result in additional costs to counties without additional funding – and believes local jurisdictions should have more control over their own economies. He intends, if elected, to “let counties and cities, local jurisdictions, have the ability to make better decisions for their constituents.”