Due to the Reporter’s longstanding policy, we do not publish election-related letters to the editor in print a week prior to the election, out of fairness to candidates, who otherwise would not have the opportunity to respond to last-minute claims. Here are the various election letters that the Reporter received after the deadline.
Re-elect Justice Charlie Wiggins
As a former King County Superior Court judge, I urge you to re-elect Justice Charlie Wiggins to the Washington state Supreme Court, Position 6.
Throughout his career, Justice Wiggins has been committed to judicial integrity. I had the privilege to see this firsthand when working with Wiggins on the American Judicature Society, an organization devoted to the improvement of the quality and independence of judges.
Wiggins has been endorsed by over 200 current and retired judges, 25 members of the state Legislature, elected prosecutors across the state and many other community leaders. He received the highest possible judicial rating from the King County Bar Association and Washington Women Lawyers, among others.
This broad support reflects the recognized experience he brought to the Supreme Court for the past six years. In addition to hearing over 500 cases on the Supreme Court, Wiggins argued hundreds of cases in front of the court as an appellate lawyer. This appellate experience involved him in diverse, complex legal issues, allowing him to develop an in depth understanding of the law that sets the standard in this race.
Join me and hundreds of judges, elected officials, community leaders and individuals across the State in voting for Justice Wiggins this November.
Terry Lukens
Bellevue
Vote Lisa Wellman for state Senate
Please elect Lisa Wellman as your senator. I’ve known her for over 15 years and she is smart, strategic, effective and compassionate.
Contrast that with your current Sen. Steve Litzow. I volunteer on the Legislative Committee for school board members representing five counties to come up with policy decisions about public education. I consider Steve Litzow the barrier to good education policy. He advances disastrous ideas like holding back third-graders who fail reading, even though research shows that’s the worst thing to do.
He won’t listen to evidence if it goes against his preconceived notions and he plays politics with our kids: He held up a one-year extension for levy authority to use as a bargaining chip during the next session.
It’s left us in a horrible position: We can’t guarantee funding to rehire teachers at a time when teacher recruitment is in crisis. So I beg you, on behalf of over one million children in Washington state, please give us Lisa Wellman to work with. She will listen, learn, care and come up with solutions to the problems we need to solve. I would so appreciate that help.
Nancy Truitt Pierce
Monroe
Vote for I-732
I was disheartened to see the Seattle Times come out in opposition to I-732, the Carbon Tax Initiative. The Times’ major complaints are that “I-732 would create a significant hole in the state budget” and provide only “questionable environmental benefits.”
I believe The Times is wrong on both counts.
The respected Sightline Institute evaluated the initiative and concluded that: “I-732 is revenue neutral, to the best of anyone’s ability to forecast it.” The budget estimates extend out six years. Total General Fund revenues for this six year period are estimated at $120 billion. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) estimates a decrease of general fund revenues by $797 million over the next six years, the I-732 Campaign estimates that it will increase general fund revenues by about $800 million over six years, and the Sightline Institute estimates it will decrease revenues about $500 million over six years.
These are all just estimates, and they are extremely small differences from perfect revenue neutrality when compared to the estimated revenues of $120 billion: the worst case scenario above amounts to a difference of only .6% of revenues. That is why Sightline stated that I-732 is revenue neutral. (And of course, if in fact I-732 were to cause a significant shortfall, the legislature can amend it after two years.) In my view it would be shortsighted to refuse to take meaningful action on climate change now, based on uncertain budget forecasting.
As regards environmental benefit, studies confirm the common sense conclusion that increasing the cost of fossil fuels will discourage consumption and make alternative energy sources more attractive. I-732 can meaningfully impact the real cost of carbon pollution, by shifting taxes from goods and services on to pollution, without increasing the overall tax burden. It will reduce the regressive nature of our state’s tax system by reducing the sales tax and also by providing a Working Family Tax Rebate to low income families.
We can do something about climate change. Please vote for I-732.
Meredith Lehr
Mercer Island
Too much mail
This resident and reader wonders if other readers and Island voters are equally disgusted by the slew of venomous “mailer cards,” replete with intelligence-insulting innuendo and allegations against opponents, and no solutions whatever for real problems. None have a real person’s name, instead use a euphemistic “Committee (or PAC) for Good Government” etc. for a return address. At least post Nov. 8 will deliver us?
Don Gulliford
Mercer Island
Lisa Wellman has a long-term plan to fix our state education problems
Whether we like it or not, we’re in a time of social change. We should elect leaders who will guide that change thoughtfully, not quietly enforce the status quo. Wellman is a leader out of the tech industry, an industry full of companies that must change every year or fail. She’s laid out a plan that shows long-term, systemic thinking.
For example, regarding the big issue this election— the education shortfall— Wellman plans to increase teacher salaries and reform teacher compensation. Paying good teachers more isn’t just the right thing to do (some other countries look at teachers as “nation builders,” so they make sure that salaries are competitive to get good ones), but it’s sound economics. A rising teacher shortage in our area will certainly lead to all kinds of bad downstream effects, like lower test scores and less stable schools.
Plans should include how to pay for these teachers. Wellman has detailed how to raise the funds we need for education. This is a nice change from the obfuscation that’s been going on in Olympia on the issue of education funding.
We need someone who can think in long-term, integrated ways, starting with education. Wellman does that. She’s shown she successfully guide change. She’s the candidate I’ll vote for.
Ellie Fields
Mercer Island
