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| Lori Bechtold, Democrat |
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| Candidate: State Representative, |
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| Lori Bechtold |
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District 5, Position 2 |
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| Age: 39 |
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| Residence: Renton |
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| Occupation: |
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Engineer |
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| Education: |
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B.S. in mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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| Political history: |
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Chairwoman of the 5th District Democrats, Council representative for Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace |
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| Endorsements: |
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Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Children's Campaign Fund, Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club |
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| Campaign Web site: http://www.loribechtold.com |
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| Campaign theme: |
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Preserving our high quality of life. |
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| 1. |
What is your position on the initiatives proposed on this year's November ballot? |
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I-713 - Animal trapping |
yes |
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I-722 - Property taxes |
no |
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I-728 - School district financing |
yes |
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I-729 - Charter schools |
no |
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I-732 - Teacher raises |
yes |
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I-745 - Transportation funding |
no |
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| 2. |
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared blanket primary elections like Washington's violate political parties' constitutional rights, what form of new primary election system would you propose adopting? |
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Any new primary system should include precinct caucuses as part of the process. The precinct caucuses offer an opportunity for community involvement, help encourage grass-roots politics, and are a way for the political parties to attract new supporters. |
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| 3. |
Would you continue the trend of recent years and support tax cuts for businesses? Which ones specifically? If not, why? |
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I support tax cuts for people first, then businesses only if our budget can support it. The people of Washington are suffering under a regressive tax system and families are paying too much in property tax. I'd like protections against tax spiking introduced into property tax law. |
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| 4. |
Would you support a Constitutional amendment that would allow tax breaks for homeowners but not for business or commercial property? Why or why not? |
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Yes. I'd like the tax burden on families and homeowners decreased before we cut sweet deals for business interests. |
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| 5. |
What privacy legislation would you support? Would you exempt financial institutions? Why or why not? |
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I support improved protection of private information that is accessed on the Internet. Financial institutions should not be exempt, because if they were, anyone then could open a "financial institution" for the sole purpose of legally accessing data that's otherwise forbidden. |
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| 6. |
A commission studying transportation funding says a new financing mechanism is needed to keep Washington transportation projects on track. How would you propose financing future transportation projects? |
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Future transportation funding needs can be met by enforcing the growth-management requirements, making developers pay impact fees for transportation infrastructure. In addition, I'd support cost-savings measures such as banning studded tires, using better road materials in high-traffic areas, and encouraging use of buses, bikes and car pools. |
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| 7. |
With some states reconsidering the death penalty, what is your position and what changes, if any, do you think are needed in Washington's law? Under what circumstances would you support a moratorium? |
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The death penalty is very controversial right now, with new technologies changing the way we convict criminals, new studies showing crime isn't decreased and with international pressure to abolish it. This is a great time for a moratorium, while we study its true effect on our society. |
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| 8. |
A judge struck down Initiative 695's provision that would have required a public vote for all tax and fee increases. Would you support a Constitutional amendment that would require the public vote? Why or why not? |
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No. Public voting on all tax and fee increases is time-consuming, sluggish and wastes public funds. It's especially expensive if special elections are needed to meet emerging needs. |
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