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| Al O'Brien, Democrat (Incumbent) |
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| Candidate: State Representative, |
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| Al O'Brien |
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District 1, Position 1 |
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| Age: 56 |
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| Residence: Mountlake Terrace |
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| Occupation: |
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Retired police sergeant; adjunct faculty member, City University |
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| Education: |
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B.A. in sociology, M.A. in public administration, Seattle University |
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| Political history: |
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Former Mountlake Terrace city councilman; state representative |
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| Endorsements: |
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Children's Campaign Fund, Washington Conservation Voters |
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| Campaign Web site: http://www.alobrien.com |
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| Campaign theme: |
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Together we are making a difference. |
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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 |
yes |
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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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Use Louisiana's law as a model. There, all political parties appear on the primary ballot but only the top two vote-getters in each race go on the general-election ballot. This method would allow for representation from minor parties. The U.S. Supreme Court alluded to it in their decision. |
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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 would support tax cuts for businesses that, for example, hire and train people trying to get off welfare or businesses that provide educational benefits to their workers. |
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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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No. The loss in revenue, caused by a tax break strictly for homeowners, would be made up through increased taxes levied on business, especially on small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy. We would all end up paying higher prices for everything we buy. |
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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 privacy legislation that requires informed consent before a person's personal information, like Social Security number, banking information, etc. can be sold or shared between businesses. This includes financial institutions. |
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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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The portion of sales taxes generated from the sale of motor vehicles and transportation-related items should be dedicated to pay for transportation improvements. Sales taxes charged on highway construction and labor should be repealed. And the Department of Transportation must be streamlined to reduce the cost of administration. |
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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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I support a moratorium on the use of the death penalty for two years. This time will give us a chance to study whether or not it is enforced equitably in this state. |
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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. Issues we pass into law require a lot of discussion and study to ensure we are doing the right thing. The republic form of government allows for this type of examination. Our system works best when the people get involved and let their representatives know how they feel. |
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