Residents of the 18th District have just two representatives in the State House of Representatives. We need the most effective person representing us.
In the Position 1 race, that person is John Ley. As a pilot, a major airline trusts John with the lives of hundreds of passengers on a daily basis. I trust him with our tax dollars. He has already taken a leadership role on major issues confronting our community.
I supported his opponent, the incumbent Brandon Vick, two years ago. I have no issue with the his voting record. But we need more than that -- our representative should be effective too. I don’t think he has been. I believe John will be a more effective legislator.
John asked for my endorsement some time ago. I’ve reflected on it and what made me decide is getting to know John and his dedication to public service.
I also came to question Brandon’s effectiveness for the district as a legislator based on my own observations and discussions with other local residents.
I did get input from some who tell me Brandon is effective. But those people were typically lobbyists and other Olympia insiders. And looking at his campaign finance reports, close to 90 percent of his contributions come from lobbyists or special interests. Incumbents usually get a lot of that money from them, but not normally to that extent. So the question came to my mind, if Brandon is effective, who is effective for?
And my own impression from my own role as a city councilman is that when Washougal needed something done in the legislature, the heavy lifting for that was done by Sen. Rivers and Rep. Pike.
Incumbents shouldn’t be thrown out on a whim. But they have no entitlement to re-election.
I wish Brandon well and if he is re-elected, I hope to work with him in the future. Maybe he can change my mind about his effectiveness after another term. If he loses, he can come back. He’s young, and he has time.
Brent Boger
Washougal
