District 10 reps hold town halls

Sharing the respectful collegiality citizens want in their legislators, State Reps. Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) and Norma Smith (R-Clinton) hosted a town hall meeting to a full room of 80 people Saturday morning at Coupeville’s WhidbeyHealth Medical Center.

At the well run session the lawmakers gave brief updates on the legilastive session and answered written questions from attendees.

First term Rep. Paul summed up the three bills he sponsored that are now being considered in the senate. His page 3 column covers them. Rep. Smith emphasized the two data privacy bills she sponsored. These did not advance to the senate.

Both Representatives answered each question. On “raising taxes dramatically, with an $800 million surplus,” Paul pointed out that four to five billion dollars went to public education, the McCleary “fix.” The real issue, Paul said, is the “need to fix our upside down tax system. We have the most regressive tax system of any state.”

Smith voiced a “different perspective” and pointed to the three state budgets: capital, operations and the gas tax (transportation). The latter is harder on rural communities, where people drive long distances to work, she said.

On protecting orcas, Smith said, “there’s a lot of mutual support” and noted that the Department of Natural Resources is the largest part of the capital budget. Paul summed up the three major issues of food, pollution and marine vehicle noise.

Asked to commit to “human caused climate change,” the two agreed, Smith saying “I believe we contribute to it.” She emphasized her years long effort gaining DNR funding for forest health.

Paul summed up the bills the majority Democrats are moving through both chambers. He called his vote for the Clean Fuels Program, HB 1110, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation fuels, “the bill I have taken the most heat about.”

He stressed the “need to reduce the impact of carbon on our infrastructure right now” and blamed oil lobbyists for “kicking the can down the road,” saying he was tired of that and that we had to deal with carbon emissions now.

There was an obscure question on EMR, electromagnetic radiation and the Navy’s Growler jets and their effects on hospital equipment

On problems rural counties have with increasing affordable housing while adhering to the state’s growth management act, Paul said he supports rules on condominiums and infill housing stock in Mount Vernon and Oak Harbor.

Smith hit the rural-urban divide among legislators, saying that rules on one-to-four unit buildings will have harmful unintended consequences on owners.

The legislators continued their discussions with individual constituents for some 30 minutes after the formal meeting ended.

Christine Cribb, executive director of the Greater Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce moderated.

A second town hall was held at Stanwood High School in the afternoon.

The 10th District covers western Skagit and Snohomish counties and all of Island County.