20th District state representative candidates talk budget, COVID-19

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In Washington state’s 20th District, Peter Abbarno, a Republican from Centralia, and Timothy Zahn, a Democrat from Toutle, are running to replace Rep. Richard DeBolt, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Zahn, 26, grew up in Southwest Washington working on local farms during the summers. He recently graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in Information Technology and Administrative Management.

Abbarno, 45, has lived in Centralia since 2010 and is a small business owner and attorney at Althauser Rayan Abbarno LLP. He currently serves as Mayor pro-tem of the city of Centralia. He said that his biggest goal in general for the 20th District is to improve the quality of life through economic development and by providing opportunities to students and families.

Zahn said that while in college he noticed many students leaving the area to find other opportunities and felt that the partisan bickering and “divisiveness in politics was impeding real progress.”

If elected, Zahn said he would like to see a change in the way the economy in the 20th district operates. He referenced the towns of Ashford and Leavenworth, saying the 20th district could increase revenue by attracting more students and more tourists.

“We can build more parks — I would like to see timberland converted into parks,” said Zahn.

Zahn also mentioned increased internet access as another priority — saying faster internet would attract more businesses to the area.

When it comes to the state budget, which is going to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, each candidate explained what they would be advocating for if elected.

Abbarno said that he thinks the legislators need to reprioritize some of the budget expenditures. 

“The hope is that there won’t be any across-the-board cuts because we want to preserve and protect the most vulnerable in our community but I also think that you can’t tax your way to prosperity,” Abbarno said.

Abbarno said that he would encourage economic development by cutting regulatory barriers, investing in workforce development and helping businesses to grow and create revenue.

When asked about the state budget, Zahn said that a 1 percent asset fee should be placed on those with over $10 million of wealth.

“That would pay for the budget and pay for our recovery. It would generate more than $7 billion for the state budget. It’s only charging the people who have actually prospered off of it while other people suffer,” he said.

Zahn said that he does believe that systemic racism is a problem in the 20th district but the solution that works in larger cities needs to be adjusted for a rural area. He said that sheriff’s offices are often stretched thin and investing in mental health services could be part of the solution.

“I’m not an expert in this area. I think that’s an important part of government is admitting when you don’t have all the answers — so I would be looking to experts to get the answers,” he said.

Abbarno approached the topic of systemic racism by first saying that everyone should be judged by the contents of their character and continued: 



“Most certainly, as a legislator, I will be looking to make sure that the legislation I vote on and advocate for is not going to segregate people out or try to promote any kind of racism or prejudice,” Abbarno said.

On the topic of the COVID-19 response in the state, Abbarno said that early on in the pandemic he felt the measures were appropriate but as time went on he felt Gov. Jay Inslee “overstepped his authority under the emergency power clause.”

“I believe the governor should have called a special session and/or the legislators themselves with a ⅔ vote could have called a special session to address many concerns of families and small businesses and the budget,” he said.

Zahn said that he felt that since Washington’s infection rate per million people is one of the lowest in the country, the response was OK, but there are lessons to be learned.

“I think I would have liked to see the masks and health guidelines implemented sooner but that’s all in retrospect … I think under the circumstances we did the best we could,” Zahn said.

Abbarno said that he wears a mask when he is unable to abide by social distancing and he encourages those in the 20th district to do the same. 

“Most certainly if you are inside, I think it’s just safer to wear a mask. I don’t think it’s a political issue,” he said.

Zahn said that wearing a mask is common sense and it’s not infringing on anybody’s rights.

“It’s not a political statement, it’s just common sense... I think that if we had been wearing masks since the pandemic started we would be doing much better than we are now,” said Zahn.

Abbarno said that he would like voters to know that as a husband and father, his family goes through the same struggles as everybody else and he’s working on healthcare, broadband, school and childcare for everyone in the 20th district.

Zahn said that he would like voters to know: “We need to be looking for solutions outside of the traditional scope of politics… I think we’ve got enough lawyers in Olympia. It’s about time we had someone who’s going to represent the needs and the interests of the average person in the 20th district.”

Abbarno received an endorsement from DeBolt, Republican state Sen. John Braun, current Republican state Reps. in the 20th and 19th district Ed Orcutt and Jim Walsh and others. Zahn received endorsements from the Lewis County Democrats, Cowlitz County Democrats, Thurston County Democrats and others.

Abbarno has received $76,508.79 in campaign contributions, according to the Public Disclosure Commission. Zahn has received $6,360.56 in contributions to his campaign. 

More information on each candidate can be found at electpeterabbarno.com/ and electzahn.com/.