State Senator, District -- 39

Party: Democrat

Date of birth: April 5, 1946

Residence: 12525 Wagner Rd., Monroe

Education: B.S. from College of Great Falls

Political offices held: Elected President of the Sultan Education Association (3 yrs.)

Public service and volunteer experience: Was a Founding Member in establishing a mission church in Monroe, "Morning Star Lutheran Church"

Volunteer work at Matthew House (servicing families of prisoners)

Endorsements: N.W. Central Washington Labor Council
AFL-CIO
Labor Local 292
Professional Fire Fighters Local 2694 (Snohomish)
Professional Fire Fighters Local 3235 (Lake Stevens)
Professional Fire Fighters Local 3315 (Monroe)
Washington Education Association
39th District Democrats
King County Democrats

Campaign theme: "It is About Democracy"...
I entered this race because I was concerned about the polarization of politics in this country and in the 39th District. This polarization has led to many moderates feeling like they do not make a difference and therefore "drop out" of the political arena. No one in my campaign has ever been involved in politics
before, other than voting. We have about 60 volunteers from moderate Republicans and Democrats! I have no paid staff. It is ALL volunteer. I am thrilled at this.

I also believe that in a democracy, a servant of the people represents ALL people in their district and not just certain groups. My door will ALWAYS be open to the constituents of the 39th District.

Questions for candidates

What are the biggest differences between you and your opponent(s)? I am a moderate and my opponent, Val Stevens, is an extreme conservative. I am known for my collaborative approach to solving problems. Val Stevens is known for being extremly difficult to work with across party lines. I believe it is VERY important to meet with ALL people from your District that want an audience with you and my opponent chooses to meet with certain groups and not others. Even though our religious beliefs impact our decisions, I believe in separation of church and state. Val Stevens has a religious agenda. I believe we must provide for our most vulnerable adults and children. Val Stevens cut medical coverage to 30,000 children. I believe in public education and using public money (tax dollars) for public education. Val Stevens is a supporter of vouchers and 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? According to our constitution, education is the paramount duty of the state. That must be out top priority. The economy and jobs is another priority. This impacts everything else. We must attract businesses that provide livable wages while providing an educated and skilled workforce for these businesses. It is important we strive for diversity of business in this state. Medical coverage and accessibilty to medical services is crucial. It will do no good to have insurance if we do not have the doctors and nurses to provide the care. As far as closing the gap between our revenue and our needs in this budget, I would first look for closing loopholes, look for any excessive tax exemptions that can be eliminated and prioritize our spending. It is important to prioritize rather than just cut funding to all programs.

Do you support the initiative to raise the sales tax 1 penny to raise money for schools and higher education? I reluctantly support this tax. I fully support the purpose of the tax and the necessity of it. I like that it is a designated tax. What bothers me is that it is a sales tax and again puts more pressure on the poorest of our communities. It is not the answer to our budget problems but it is a short term solution.

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? This new primary was a shock to our way of operating. There did not seem to be much time for the public to debate or process the procedure since our system was declared unconstitutional. I do believe, if we are to have a several party system, it is up to the parties to choose their candidates. I will not support the top 2 primary system.

What do you think of the initiative to expand the use of slot machines to reduce taxes? We have enough gambling in this state. I will not support increasing it.

Contact

19916 Old Owen Rd.,
12525 Wagner Rd.
MONROE, WA 98272
(360) 794-6671
campaign@susanneolson.org

Campaign Web site:
susanneolson.org