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District
ates talk
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nahtHe@rna so nco u n (y,co m
All six candidates for
state Representative in the
35th Legislative District
positions 1 and 2 attended
a candidate forum Thurs-
day hosted by the Mason
County League of Women
Voters and the Shelton
Mason County Chamber of
Commerce.
"It's better to be an in-
formed voter, to know what
you're voting for," said Dan
Griffey said, candidate for
position 1.
The 35th Legislative Dis-
trict represents Kitsap, Ma-
son and Thurston counties.
For position 1, incum-
bent Kathy Haigh (D) is
defending her seat in the
Legislature, that she has
held for 14 years, against
Griffey (R) a professional
firefighter.
Four candidates are com-
peting for the open position
2. including Lynda Ring
Erickson (D). Drew MacE-
wen (R). Jeff Davis (D) and
Glenn Gaither (I). Fred
Finn (D). who currently
holds the seat, chose not to
seek reelection in 2012.
Of the candidates,
Griffey, Haigh, Ring Erick-
son and MacEwen hail from
Mason County.
The forum was the sec-
ond in a series hosted by
the league and the cham-
ber at Oakland Bay Junior
High School. Green Dia-
mond and Mason Web TV
also sponsored the event.
Each candidate was in-
vited to make a one-minute
opening statement and a
two-minute closing state-
ment. and was given two
minutes to answer ques-
tions, first posed by the
event's hosts, then asked by
vo~ers in attendance.
In their opening state-
ments and throughout the
evening many of the candi-
dates focused on the impor-
tance of creating jobs, pro-
tecting natural resources,
improving education and
investing in transportation.
The candidates specifi-
cally discussed funding for
transportation including
projects such as the Bel-
fair bypass and a new in-
terchange between Johns
Journa DnOZO By Natal e Johnson
Jeff Davis (D), candidate for 35th Legislative District position 2, speaks
at the candidate forum hosted by the Mason County League of Women
Voters and the Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce on
Thursday night. On his left is Drew MacEwen (R), and on his right is
Glenn Gaither (I).
Prairie Road and State tion for candidates focused
Route 3. on the Washington State
"We will never be able to Supreme Court's McCleary
attractthe jobs we need ... ruling, which found that the
unless we invest in trans- state Legislature was not
portation." Ring Erickson doing enough to fund public
said. "I'm not sure it's about education in the state, forc-
money as much as lookinging districts to rely heavily
at how we solve problems." - on local levies.
Davis said he could use Shelton Mason County
his experience as a Port of Chamber of Commerce di-
Olympia commissioner to rector Heidi McCutcheon,
improve transportation and who moderated the forum.
freight mobility in the area. asked the candidates how
"There is money in the the Legislature should re-
state to do projects we need spend to the ruling.
funded in Mason County,"The candidates differed
he said. in their responses. Gaither
He added that much of suggested the state go ~o a
that money currently goes "voucher system" in which
to projects in areas such as each family would receive
King County. a voucher from the state to
"We need that money pay for their child's educa-
over here." Davis said. tion. and the family could
MacEwen said the Wash- then chose which school
ington State Department of they wanted.
Transportation needed to"We need to fund eduea-
be reprioritized to focus on tion." he said. "I just don't
freight mobility, like them saying we don't
Griffey suggested work- fund education enough."
ing with forest product Jeff Davis said the Leg-
companies to build roads in islature should consider all
the area. options to fully fund educa-
During his opening tion.
statement, Gaither talked "We should take the Su-
about how he believes all of preme Court decision and
the issues in the campaign do what it states, which is
interact with each other, fully fund education," he
"What we're really fight- said. "It's important for us
ing for are our children's fu- as a state to move forward."
tures." he said. MacEwen said education
The forum's first ques- should be top priority for
Forest Fest makes splash at Lakefair, Seafair
By NATALIE JOHNSON
na~atie(&na,~uncoun@ /:om
The 2012 Forest Festival Float was a big
hit at two major parades last month.
The float won the Sweepstakes award at
Olympia's Lakefair on July 21 and the Prin-
cess Award at the Seafair Torchlight Parade
in Seattle on Saturday.
"It is fabulous. I cried." said Lynne Free-
man, Forest Festival president and float
chair. "The two awards we got they're so
coveted."
Mason County competed against 24 other Courtesy p ......
floats at Lakefair The 2012 Mason County Forest
"At Lakefair, because it's the capital of the Festival parade float won top
state your entries come statewide from Can- honors at two major parades last
ada and from Oregon." she.said, month -- Seattle's Seafair
Freeman said judges take into account Torchlight Parade and Olympia's
many different things when looking at floats.
such as craftsmanship, workmanship, design Lakefair.
and flow.
"Every parade does something different, particularly satisfying because of the budget
every parade covets their criteria. They look gap between the Forest Fest float and other
for appeal to your parade viewers. They look floats in the parades.
for quality of work. They look for how your "We're up against huge budgets. You're up
group of people interact with the judges." she against floats that have $25.000 budgets to
said. "It has to tell a story or represent your Forest Festival's $5,000," she said. "Try and
community in some fashion." go up against the Portland (Ore.J Tourna-
She said the judges at Lakefair singled out ment of Roses Parade and their huge budget
the Forest Fest float because its theme of Old or (Puyallup's) Daffodil Festival and their
Tyme Timber represented southwest Wash- huge budget."
ington and the rest of the state. Each year, Freeman, the festival royalty and other
the Forest Festival float is based on the de- volunteers love going to other festivals and
sign chosen for the festival button, and the parades to try to win awards, but she said
festival's theme, it's about more than that. Attending festivals
"It all comes down to the judges and prob- helps get recognition, and attracts more peo-
ably our float won this year because we had ple to visit Mason County for Forest Festival.
represented the entire state." she said. "The "We have to go to all the parades because
whole state's been a logging state for hun- we need to have them come to ours." she said.
dreds of years." "We are Forest Festival's advertising."
On Saturday at Seattle's Seafair Torch- Freeman said she hopes that such state-
light Parade. the float took home another wide recognition will inspire people, or me-
honor -- the Princess Award. tivate them to participate in Forest Festival
This award recognized the Forest Festival and other community events.
Princesses. Freeman said they were all color "We're losing our volunteers," she said.
coordinated, weanng yellow, which matched "People need to realize that community is so
the rest of the float, important for a healthy lifestyle."
'%Ve were on TV for probably five minutes In September. Freeman plans to step down
... which is killer because a million people as Forest Festival president. The Forest Fes-
look at it," she said. tival board will vote for a new president dur-
Freeman said the accomplishments areing its August meeting.
ey they need," she said. believe, by the same stan-
While in agreement on dards," Haigh said.
the need for more funding Republicans Griffey and
for education and transpor- MacEwen and Independent
ration, the candidates split Gaither said they would
along party lines in their support a 60 percent major-
support of a two-thirds ma- ity needed to raise taxes.
jority to raise taxes. "The people have spoken
Democrats Haigh and loud and clear," MacEwen
Davis said they would not said. He characterized the
support such a measure, state Legislature as "power
saying that a "50 percent hungry and always looking
plus one" majority was the for a new tax."
most democratic option. Griffey added, "It's rep-
Ring Erickson and Haigh resentative, not dictator."
said the measure would riot Ballots for the primary
be fair unless it also took a election h'ave already been
two-thirds majority to de- mailed to Mason County
crease taxes, residents. The primary is
"We should all live, I on Tuesday.
the Legislature during bud-
geting.
"We fully fund K through
12 education, then we wor-
ry about the other things in
the budget," he said.
MacEwen and Ring Erick-
son spoke out against gtore
taxes to fund education.
Haigh said the lack of
funding hurts both teachers
and children.
"Our teachers are not
getting the amount of men-
Goldsborough
Creek
Apartments
is accepting wait
list. applications for
seniors ages 62 and
better. HUD subsidized,
controlled access,
garden setting, minutes
from downtown
shopping. Non-Smoking
Property. 23 1-Br. and
one 2-Br. 303 S 7th St.,
(306) 426-3903
Washington's Wild
Cat Sanctuary
from Lions to tiny
Gordon's Cats
Each wild cat is special and has a
need for a safe and comfortable
place to live out its life happily,
peacefully and with digni~
Mail your tax-deductable donation to:
Wild Felid Advocacy Center
of Washington
3111 E. Harstine Island Rd. N.
Shelton WA 98584
~1~w (360)427-446? ~2$
:_
ww wildfelids o.~j --~
County For More
il Than Years
/,I,I
14 Olympic Highway
,, Monday-Friday 8:30-5
.. Call 6 31 •
'
Russ Denney
CLEANERS & TAILORS
C~.m b~e Mon-Fr[ 6:30 a.m.-&00 p .... Sat 9:00 0.m.-2:00 p,m,
...... ,,ooff 215 South Second * 426-3371
Member Serving She~ton and Mason County for 85 year,
Many times a good repair on a
used car is a better value than a
new car payment. Choose your
mechanic wisely. Pictured: Jason
Banks, Dan Moldenhauer and Noel
Longan, owner.
AUTOMOTIVE
2033 Olympic Highway North • Sheltor
426-1467
have
fishing 427-9099
supplies!
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Enterprises (S.I.T.E.)
@
19390 North U.S. Hwy. I01 ] [
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At the intersection of Hwy. I01 & Hwy. 106
minutes north of Shelton on the Skokomish Indian Reservation
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Shelton-Mason County Journal-Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012 - ~age A-3