Helen Price Johnson - LD10 Senate (D)

Background / qualifying experiences

2001-07 South Whidbey School Board Director; 2008-20 Island County Commissioner; 2013-14 president, Washington State Association of Counties; Education: Mills College B.A. Administration and Legal Processes.

I grew up on Whidbey Island and am a third-generation small business owner. I have spent my adult life giving back to the community I love. My husband and I own a residential construction company, raised our four children here and put them through college. We now have three grandchildren.

State economic recovery

We must contain the spread of COVID-19 before our local economies will fully recover. My priority is investing in our communities and small businesses to help them survive this pandemic. Keeping our communities healthy means more people can stay employed, housed and out of crisis.

State budget deficit

The rainy-day fund should be used for capital investments in green infrastructure such as broadband, salmon friendly culverts and improved transportation alternatives, to create jobs and generate sales tax revenues. I support a B&O tax holiday for small businesses to preserve our local economies during the pandemic and keep people employed. Safety net services must be preserved to help keep our families, seniors and veterans out of crisis.

State regressive tax structure

Comprehensive tax reform is needed. I support the work of the bi-partisan Washington State Tax Structure Work Group that will identify fair and substantial revenue sources. As Senator, I will work to lighten the tax burden from small businesses and low-income families.

Fully fund state’s public education

The educational disparities across our state have intensified with the pandemic. Access to broadband, childcare, school nutrition, health care and mental health support are inequalities within the system impacting opportunities for our students of color, those with disabilities and other underserved students. Making these investments will help to fully fund our education system. As a former South Whidbey School Board member, I have experience creating educational effectiveness in our communities.

Climate change in Washington

Climate change is here and must be addressed to save our coastlines, forests, farmlands and the planet. We need to reduce our state’s carbon footprint, increase climate resiliency in our region, reduce plastic packaging and incentivize investments in renewable energy. Investing in green infrastructure would be a smart recovery tool in this economic crisis.