By JESSE BURKHARDT
The Enterprise
There is not much being contested at the primary election level this year. Because races with two or fewer candidates will not appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot, the county's election ballot will be very thin.
In fact, for most of Klickitat County, the only item that appears is the 15th Legislative District contest for state representative. Yet even this race appears only due to a technicality: Although three names appear on the ballot, one of them -- former White Salmon entrepreneur John Gotts -- moved from the state and has officially withdrawn from the race. Gotts' withdrawal, however, came too late to allow his name to be removed from the ballot. As a result, three names appear, even though there are actually only two eligible candidates in the contest.
The two active candidates competing for the seat are: David Taylor, Republican of Moxee; and Donicio Marichalar, Democrat of Grandview.
Taylor was appointed to fill the seat previously held by Dan Newhouse. Newhouse left the Legislature early in 2009 to serve as the state's Agriculture Director, prompting this special election to fill the seat for the next year.
Washington's 15th Legislative District includes all of Klickitat County, all of Skamania County, and parts of Clark and Yakima counties, and the state representative race will be back on the ballot again in 2010. Next year, a full two-year term will be at stake.
To give voters a better idea of the views of these two candidates, we attempted to contact each candidate and ask both of them a series of questions.
The Klickitat County Auditor's Office mailed out primary ballots on July 31, and voters must return them by Aug. 18.
Editor's Note: The Democratic Party candidate, Donicio Marichalar, did not respond to our interview questions, despite repeated telephone calls, e-mails, and a letter to his home address. The Enterprise originally planned to cover this race in the Aug. 6 issue, but with no response from Marichalar, we decided to wait one more week. However, in the interest of fairness to State Rep. David Taylor, who responded well within the deadline provided, we are running Taylor's answers in this issue.
THE ENTERPRISE:
Tell us a bit about yourself -- your background, occupation, etc.
TAYLOR:
My name is David Taylor and I was honored to receive the appointment to replace Dan Newhouse in the Washington House of Representatives on March 30, 2009. I am married to Molly and have two children Tiffany (13), and Brock (11).
I worked for Kittitas County for 10 years -- five as the planning director, and two as the community development services director. I left employment with Kittitas County in 2004 and started a private consulting business.
Over the past five years I have represented a variety of private property owners, the Yakima County Farm Bureau, the Yakima County Cattlemen's Association, the Hop Growers, the Yakima Dairy Federation, the Lower Yakima Valley Association of Realtors, local business owners, and local units of government covering a variety of issues. I have served in a variety of capacities for industry groups, including as president of the Yakima County Cattlemen's Association, president of the Washington State Association of County & Regional Planning Directors, and as the government affairs director for the Lower Yakima Valley Association of Realtors.
I also own a small cattle and quarter horse ranch in the Moxee Valley. We raise Black Angus cattle and breed foundation-based quarter horses. In addition, I am a co-owner of a steel fabrication business that specializes in repairs, fabrication, and custom alterations to agricultural equipment.
THE ENTERPRISE:
Why did you decide to run for this office?
TAYLOR:
Quite simply, I want to work for the citizens of the 15th District. I understand the issues facing the citizens, business owners, and agricultural producers in the 15th District and I want to use my knowledge to serve them.
THE ENTERPRISE:
In brief, what do you see as the three biggest issues facing the 15th Legislative District, and what are your ideas for dealing with them?
TAYLOR:
The three biggest issues facing the 15th District are economic development, taxes, and water. As an advocate of economic development, I understand we need to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses and recruit new businesses to the Columbia Gorge. Economic development creates jobs and a steady, reliable tax base for our communities. As your 15th District representative, I will work to reduce regulations and expand opportunities for our communities to recruit new businesses.
Over the past several months, we have continuously heard discussions in Olympia about increasing or creating new taxes. Now is not the time to increase taxes; if anything, we should be looking at reducing the tax burden on our citizens. The Legislature must adopt prioritized budgeting procedures and fund constitutionally-mandated programs, like education, first. I will continue to fight against increased or expanded taxes.
Water resources are the key to new economic development in the Columbia Gorge. There is simply no reason jurisdictions, like the city of White Salmon, have to wait years for a new or expanded water right. Right now, communities are being held back from reaching their full potential simply because state agencies refuse to act on water right applications. As your representative, I will work to streamline the permit process to get new and expanded water supply to our communities, farmers, and businesses.
THE ENTERPRISE:
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Klickitat County, and what do you see as the best way to address that challenge?
TAYLOR:
The biggest challenge facing Klickitat County is regulation of development. Klickitat County is one of two counties in the Columbia Gorge mired by state and federal regulations that make new economic development difficult. I believe local government (i.e., cities and counties), is best suited to meet the needs of their respective communities and should have the greatest voice in determining whether new economic development is suitable for a particular area. I will continue to work to bring greater control to local elected officials and work to provide them the tools they need to recruit new economic development to the region.
THE ENTERPRISE:
Where do you stand on energy development in our state and region? Do you favor more windpower development, or are we reaching a saturation point in your view?
TAYLOR:
I support all energy development in Washington, the Columbia Gorge, and Klickitat County, regardless of the form it is in. I believe the United States should be energy independent, and Washington can be a leader in making that a reality. I also believe locally elected officials should have a greater say in approving or denying new energy development. As your 15th District representative, I will work to provide incentives for new energy development and expand the decision-making authority for local elected officials.
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