Twelve 40th district candidates have varied backgrounds Posted by Elaine Walker in News Aug 16, 2010 | 2757 views

40th Legislative District, House of Representatives, Position 1 candidates:

Democrat Jeff Morris, a native of Guemes Island, has served in the State House since 1996 and is Speaker Pro Tempore. He serves on the Technology, Energy, and Communications Committee, which he chaired many years, and on Transportation, Ecology and Parks, Audit Review and Oversight and House Rules committees.

CEO of Energy Horizon LLC, he directs regional aggregated energy resource planning. He is a co-founder of Northwest Energy Angels, an investing group focused on new energy technology. He is a trustee of the Washington State Life Science Fund and a past director of the Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative. He was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as a “West Coast Power Player” and by the Northwest and Intermountain Power Producers Coalition for advanced innovative public policy.

A key figure in the fight to retain the Sidney ferry run, he was honored by the Canadian Consulate for eliminating commerce barriers.

Morris said the budget must be addressed and funding found for education and transportation.

“We need to reconcile where we want to go in a cathartic public debate,” he said.

He said the current tax system is unfriendly to industry.

“We’re actually an awful state to manufacture in,” he said.

Visit http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/members/morris .

Green Party candidate Howard Pellett, now retired, served six years on Bothell’s planning commission and four years on its city council. He was president of the Guemes Island Property Owners Association and the island’s water association, and treasurer of Guemes Island Planning and Advisory Committee, Guemes Island Community Center Association and the North Sound Alliance.

A peace and environmental activist for 31 years, he is dedicated to progressive issues.

He said one of his priorities is revoking corporate “personhood.” At a recent forum, he cited elected officials’ misplaced priorities and deference to corporate interests.

“I think the most serious problem we have is corruption in government,” he said.

Visit http://www.pellett.org .

Republican John Swapp, owner of JetPoint Technologies, grew up in Anacortes. He earned an associate degree in Industrial Technology at Skagit Valley College and a degree in manufacturing engineering technology. He took out a second mortgage to start his Sedro-Woolley-based aerospace parts cutting business.

He served on the board of directors of the Sedro-Woolley Chamber of Commerce and on the business advisory council of Chinook Enterprises in Mount Vernon. He was on the vocational advisory committee for Sedro-Woolley High School and the board of directors of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ Seattle chapter.

Swapp said government is too big.

“We tax too heavily. We spend too much,” he said.

He said business has to thrive, and that as a businessman he has been challenged by government.

“I see nothing but threats to me,” he said. “Everyone under the sun wants a piece of what I make.”

Visit http://www.johnswapp2010.com .

40th Legislative District, House of Representatives, Position 2 candidates:

Democrat Thomas Boucher attended Mount Vernon High School, Skagit Valley College and Western Washington University. He holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and communications. 

He was legislative assistant to State Rep. Jeff Morris and a staff member for U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen. Before that, he owned Hops Mountain Ale House in Mount Vernon and worked as marketing coordinator at Olympic Health Management in Bellingham.

He is board president of Youthnet, a nonprofit organization serving at-risk youth and families. He was executive director for the Skagit Valley Wine Association.

Boucher said the state needs to invest in infrastructure and support small and new businesses.

“Jobs and the economy are going to be the most important issues,” he said. 

Boucher opposes a state income tax, and would prefer a bipartisan effort to fix the tax structure.

“We need a comprehensive tax overhaul,” he said.

Visit http://www.electboucher.com .

Republican Chuck Carrell has been a Washington resident since his father came here with the Navy in 1975.

He did a tour with the Marine Corps, which was extended for the Persian Gulf war in 1990-1991. He works for Snohomish County as a field training officer and defensive tactics instructor for the Sheriff’s Office, and was president of the Snohomish County Corrections Guild in 2005-2008.

Carrell said cutting government costs is the top issue.

“We’re spending way too much money. We have to go back and reduce the spending,” he said.

Visit http://www.chuckcarrell.com .

 

Republican Dusty Gulleson, a husband and father with two small children, was born in Indonesia, where his father was a missionary.

Since starting a technology company 11 years ago, he has weathered two recessions and said he knows what it is like to stay awake at night wrestling with burdensome taxes, payroll, rising health insurance premiums and the welfare of clients and employees.

Gulleson said government needs to cut back to basic services to spur recovery and job growth.

“Jobs is the single most important issue,” he said.

He recommended reforming Labor and Industries and reducing the cost of doing business. He said unemployment should not transition into a long-term entitlement program.

“Government spending does not stimulate an economy,” he said.

Visit http://www.votedusty.com .

Democrat Kristine Lytton is serving her second term as President of the Anacortes School Board. Last year she was awarded the Washington Association of School Administrators Community Leadership Award.

Lytton grew up on a farm. She attended Southern Illinois University, the University of Missouri and Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey, Ill. She worked for Shell Oil Company and at Citicorp Executive Development Center as a senior financial analyst and operations manager.

Lytton and her husband Mike raised their two sons in the 40th District. She was vice president of Anacortes Schools Foundation, a board member of the Anacortes Senior College Board and president and legislative chair of the Anacortes PTA. She was active in the Red Cross and the Anacortes Museum Foundation.

She said education is the state’s most crucial issue. She said it is the key to providing a qualified work force for industrial and clean energy jobs.

“Education is and will be my top priority,” she said.

Lytton said the budget is a close second, and that she would support a zero-based budget approach. After some tough years of budget cutting on the Anacortes School Board, she said she knows how to make tough decisions.

Visit http://www.krislytton.com .

Republican Donna Miller is office manager for San Juan Physical Therapy, mother of five and grandmother of two. One of her joys is helping people. Her concerns are personal property, schools, employment, the elderly, personal freedom as guaranteed by the Constitution and a fresh start for the 40th District.

She said one of her biggest joys is helping people.

“In the midst of the turmoil in government keep on smiling. Together we can make a difference,” she said on her campaign flier.

Contact her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Republican Mike Newman was born in 1953 in Raymond and grew up in Tacoma, Port Orchard and Bellingham. He graduated from Sehome High School. He worked in cement construction and real estate before starting a 30-year career at the Boeing Co. Now he is a Realtor with Century 21 North Homes in Mount Vernon. 

He coached Little League 1992-1994 and volunteered with Skagit Valley Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He volunteered with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on numerous projects involving the Nooksack Elk Herd. He volunteered with USRDA’s Self Help Program to build 18 low income homes and with the Skagit Valley Backyard Wildlife Habitat program.

He ran for PUD Commissioner in 2006. He has been active in the Skagit County Republican Party since 2006, serving as a precinct committee officer.

Newman said getting government out of private sector services would free money for education.

“We have got to stop government growth,” he said.

He said industries have not expanded because of L&I and unemployment costs.

“We have got to make this state more business friendly,” he said.

Visit http://www.mikenewman2010.com .

Democrat Tom Pasma came to Skagit County in 1994. He and his wife own and run Double S Quarter Horse Ranch in Bow. He also operates an auction business, and has done charity auctions for Skagit Land Trust, Campfire Girls, Boys and Girls Clubs, Rotary, Skagit Valley College, Equi-Friends Therapeutic Riding Program and for families facing overwhelming medical bills.

Pasma said we need to work together to prioritize spending so more can be dedicated to education and infrastructure. He said it’s time to look at incentives and breaks — some that are 60 years old — and see if they still do what they were intended to do.

“We need to invest in our small businesses,” Pasma said.

Visit http://www.tompasma.com .

Democrat Justin Van Dyk supports I-1098, funding for higher education and training for green jobs. He supports health care as a basic human right. His experience includes being a precinct committee officer.

He said he would treat the position as a full-time one and would listen to all voices, although he has a Democratic background.

“I believe in pushing for many of the things that Democrats are known for; fighting for the middle to lower class as they always need someone in their corner, fighting for the environment and as we live in Washington State we all know how precious and important our environment is and how it defines us,” he said on his Web site.

Visit http://www.electvandyk.com .

Information was not available for Doug (Yoshe) Revelle, Happiness Party candidate. When filing for office, he listed his contact e-mail as .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).