State Representative, District -- 32, Position -- 2

Party: Democrat

Date of birth: August 14, 1945

Residence: 19553 35th N.E. , Lake Forest Park, WA

Education: BA - University of Washington MPA - Syracuse University

Political offices held: State Representative -- 1999 to present. Currently serve as Chair of the Children and Family Services Committee, and on the Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee and the Appropriations Committee.

Public service and volunteer experience: Vice President, League of Women Voters of Washington; Chair - Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect; King County Children and Families Commission; Lake Forest Park Human Services Commission; President,Board of Directors, Center for Human Services; Chair, Seattle Commission on Children and Youth.

Endorsements: Children's Campaign Fund, Washington Conservation Voters, Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs, Washington Council of Firefighters, Washington Federation of Teachers, Law Enforcement Administrators of Washington, Washington Nurses Association, NARAL, Seattle-King County Association of Realtors

Campaign theme: - Strong schools with the resources teachers need to ensure our children are prepared for tomorrow's challenges.
- Healthy families that have access to quality child care, support to prevent child abuse and strong foster care for children who can't stay home.
- Health care policies that control escalating costs, provide access to affordable prescription drugs and invest our health care dollars wisely.
- Reforming our drug laws by sentencing non-violent drug offenders to drug court and treatment rather than prison.

Questions for candidates

What are the biggest differences between you and your opponent(s)? I support increased funding for education, including I-884. I do not believe that performance audits can close a $1 billion budget gap. I support moving forward with improvements on Aurora Avenue to make this highway safer for pedestrians and cars. I do not support charter schools.

What are your highest priorities for state government? If you had to close the projected $1 billion gap between state government revenues and expenses, how would you do it? My highest priorities are to increase funding for early education through higher education, to address the current weaknesses in the foster care system, to sentence non-violent drug offenders to drug courts rather than prison so we don't have to build new prison beds for this population, and to control health care spending increases. We need to revisit tax reform and build a consensus on changes to our current system. We should consider an income tax paired with reductions or elimination of the sales tax, state property tax and the B and O tax. Any reform must go to the voters for final approval.

Do you support the initiative to raise the sales tax 1 penny to raise money for schools and higher education? Yes. Initiatives 728 and 732 to reduce class size and increase teachers' salaries were both strongly supported by the voters. They were passed during times of budget surpluses. With a $2.6 budget deficit last year, the legislature could not fund these initiatives. High quality education is important for the future of our children and our economy. This initiative is critical if we are to move forward in our efforts to improve educational opportunities in this state.

Are you happy with Washington's new primary? Are you supporting the initiative that would give Washington a "top 2" primary system that the parties oppose? I do not support the "top 2" primary as I believe the voters deserve a choice between candidates from multiple parties on the November ballot. With the "top 2," third parties would be eliminated and, in some races, voters would only have a choice between two Republicans or two Democrats. This would have been the case in the governor's race eight years ago under the "top 2" system.

What do you think of the initiative to expand the use of slot machines to reduce taxes? I strongly oppose it. This proposal would dramatically expand gambling in our neighborhoods and would create many new problems for families and communities. In states which allow such extensive gambling, they have seen a significant increase in social problems and gambling addictions.

Contact

19553 35TH NE
LAKE FOREST PARK, WA 98155-2613
(206) 365-1137
kagi@seanet.com

Campaign Web site:
ruthkagi.org