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| John R. McCoy, Democrat |
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| Candidate: State Representative, |
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| John R. McCoy |
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District 10, Position 2 |
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| Age: 56 |
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| Residence: Tulalip |
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| Occupation: |
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Executive director of governmental affairs, Tulalip Tribes |
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| Education: |
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El Capitan High School, Lakeside, Calif. |
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| Political history: |
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Analyzed legislation, liaison with governments, as Tulalip Tribes executive director of governmental affairs |
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| Endorsements: |
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National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League; District Lodge 751, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; 10th Legislative District Democrats |
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| Campaign Web site: http://www.votemccoy.com |
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| Campaign theme: No response. |
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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 |
no response |
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I-722 - Property taxes |
no response |
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I-728 - School district financing |
no response |
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I-729 - Charter schools |
no response |
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I-732 - Teacher raises |
no response |
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I-745 - Transportation funding |
no response |
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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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Of course I will support the court's decision. However, given the independent-minded voters in the state of Washington, I would like to keep the primary-election process as open and accessible as legally possible. |
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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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Before we promise tax cuts, we must assess the state's likely economic health and the revenue that would be reasonably generated by subsequent tax receipts. If the economy remains strong, tax cuts and/or tax incentives should be considered, particularly those that would benefit small businesses. |
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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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A constitutional amendment would lock in one method of generating revenue at the exclusion of others. While our state is in good economic shape, this might not be so in the future. I am unconvinced of the wisdom in making such a broad, rather inflexible decision. But I support more flexible tax credits for homeowners as long as they do not unfairly shift the tax burden. |
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| 5. |
What privacy legislation would you support? Would you exempt financial institutions? Why or why not? |
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Tough, uncompromising privacy laws are essential and financial institutions should not be exempt. No person or institution should be able to sell or share private information without explicit permission. Individuals are the sole owners of their private information and protecting privacy rights should be a priority. |
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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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I believe that we should follow the financing recommendations submitted by the commission, which was made up of widely acknowledged experts in this field. When the new system is in place, we must, however, make sure that it remains workable and accountable to legislative oversight. |
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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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As long as the voters support it, the death penalty should remain in place. Accountability and oversight are crucial and I would advocate the continued use of the latest and best technology; such as DNA testing. We must also do our best to ensure that racial bias does not affect capital-punishment decisions. |
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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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I would not support such an amendment. While on the surface such an action appears as though it would make government more responsive to the wishes of the public, I am convinced that, in the end, such a system would be cumbersome and would only cause the government to work slower than it does already. |
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