Everett
Boeing union snubs Dems in House race

By Emily Heffter
Times Snohomish County bureau

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Everett Democrat Randall Rike hopes his union ties will help him beat state Rep. John McCoy in next month's primary.

Rike is the first challenge McCoy must overcome to win another two years in the 38th Legislative District's Position 1 seat. One of them will go on to face Republican Kim Halvorson in the general election.

Rike faces a few challenges of his own. He lost to McCoy in a three-way Democratic primary in 2002, getting just 10 percent of the vote. The Boeing Machinists union snubbed both Democrats this year by endorsing Halvorson.

Then there's fund raising: McCoy had collected nearly $47,000 in campaign contributions as of this week; Rike had reported none.

"John McCoy basically is not pro-union," said Rike, a former member of the Boeing union and now a member of another Machinists district. "He's not pro-worker; he's not pro-labor. I'm the only union candidate running for this position."

The Machinists' endorsement, however, went elsewhere. Linda Lanham, the union's legislative and political director, said Halvorson had impressed her with a commitment to creating jobs and keeping people working.

He "made it very difficult for us" during his first term, and Rike hadn't asked for the union's endorsement, Lanham said.

John McCoy Age: 60 Residence: Tulalip Reservation Education: high-school graduate Work: general manager, Quil Ceda Village Randall Rike Age: 41 Residence: Everett Education: attended the University of South Carolina, Conway Work: has worked in construction since being laid off from a Boeing machinist job last year

McCoy flip-flopped on legislation for a rail-barge pier near Mukilteo that contributed to Boeing's decision to build its new 7E7 jetliner in Everett. In the end, McCoy voted for the bill and was a co-sponsor, but Lanham said he had been difficult to work with.

McCoy pointed out that he has been endorsed by the Snohomish County and state labor councils.

Rike is critical of McCoy for his ties to big business — he runs a business park for the Tulalip Tribes that includes Wal-Mart and Home Depot stores. But McCoy is proud of the tribes' Quil Ceda Village development, which provides thousands of jobs for tribal and nontribal members.

"What I'm doing has got broad-based support," McCoy said.

He said he is most proud of a bill he sponsored that set aside $2 million for youth projects statewide.

McCoy also focused on environmental bills and sponsored a bill to toughen laws that require sprinklers in buildings. That bill worked so well that the Tulalips had to fix some of their sprinkler systems to comply, McCoy said.

In a second term, McCoy said he would focus on health care and improving care for the mentally ill. In addition, he said he would like to smooth out the educational system so that high school better prepares kids for college.

Rike's priority is creating more union jobs, he said. He criticized the jobs at Quil Ceda Village, where McCoy is general manager. Most of them are low-paying, nonunion jobs.

Rike said he would look at the state's road-improvement and transportation contracts to make sure taxpayers are getting the best for their money, and he said he would focus on getting a light-rail line in the 38th District, which includes Everett, the Tulalip Reservation and part of Marysville.

Rike said he believes he could relate better to constituents, including those who have lost health insurance. He hasn't had health benefits since being laid off about a year ago, he said.

"The Democratic Party's for the working person," he said.

Emily Heffter: 425-783-0624 or eheffter@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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