Special election report: Candidate Q & A

This year, candidates from across the state are running for federal and state public office. Primary elections on Aug. 17 will advance the top placing candidates for vacant positions in the 25th and 31st legislative districts, as well as the Pierce County Council District 1 seat. These positions represent the residents of Fife, Milton and Edgewood at the state and county levels.

• Ron Morehouse
  • Candidate for State House of Representatives District 25, Position 2
• Matt Richardson
  • Candidate for State Senate, District 31

l) What do you feel you can bring to this position?

RM: I bring honesty, integrity and proven ethics. I am the only true fiscal conservative running. I have had to make budgets and reduce budgets. I am a medical professional and a business owner. I am a member of two business associations.

MR: I am a pro-family and pro-neighborhood leader that is dedicated to public service. If elected, I will focus on the areas that directly impact the daily life of people in the 31st District – education, transportation, flooding, the budget and jobs. My experience as a teacher, councilmember, and leadership on the Pierce County Regional Council and two Regional River Task Forces, prepares me with the knowledge and working relationships needed to better represent the people of our district. The time has come for better representation and new leadership for the 31st District. We need a senator who will listen and be listened to when important decisions are being made. We need a senator who builds bridges, not burns them. I have a record of working with others in Olympia, Congress, the county, and between cities to get the work of the people done.

2) As a leader, what are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

RM: As a leader I have had to make tough decisions that affected people’s lives. I will always make decisions based on facts and proven data, but I will listen to all sides. I will always give the truth. I could use public speaking classes.

MR: I keep my word, I’m honest and never turn on friends. I trust others I don’t know until it is proven that I can’t believe them anymore. I give people the benefit of the doubt and try to see things from their perspective. I tend to rely on my instinct too much and need to work on being patient. I am equally a realist and an optimist, who follows through with commitments to the end for the sake of the people I serve, family and constituents alike. This tends to make me uncompromising and mission-focused, but I am making progress.

3) Over the past two years, the economy has taken a toll on people in Fife, Milton, Edgewood and throughout Pierce County. What are some strategies you might recommend to reverse the economic problems facing these constituents?

RM: We must encourage manufacturing in all our communities, we have the technology to do this safely and protect the environment at same time. We must cut B & O taxes to promote local businesses. We must cut taxes on individuals. We must develop transportation into the communities to encourage business movement into those areas.

MR: Washington needs to be friendlier to businesses; after all, they employ Washingtonians. The state should adopt a series of business-oriented incentives to compensate them for identifying and hiring people from the unemployment rolls. Unemployment services should have a role in identifying those workers. Policies that are free trade oriented, and tend to lose jobs to foreign countries based on profit motives, should be reformed. Any policy that keeps Americans from work, or unable to pay their mortgages/rent, is un-American. I believe in fair trade and an equal playing field for our goods and services.

4) What leadership experience will you bring to this position?

RM: I have been a proven leader in business associations and I’m currently on the Graham Business Association Board. I am a Central Pierce Fire and Rescue Commissioner, and a local school board director.

MR: Sumner City Councilmember 2004-present; deputy mayor 2006; vice chair and delegate to the Pierce County Regional Council 2006-2010; certified teacher Wa-He-Lut Indian School 2007-present; professor of government, sociology, philosophy U.S. Navy/NCPACE, 2006-present; Congressional staff (Rick White WA-01) 1996-1998; research analyst State House 1995-1996; legislative aide State Senate 1994; vice chair Sumner Planning Commission 1998-2003; Art Commission, Saint Andrew Church 1998-99.

5) What sets you apart from your fellow candidates?

RM: I am the only fiscal conservative recognized by both parties as such. I am the only Democrat running that has also won as a Republican. I am the only one that has and is fighting for 100 percent funding of K-12, instead of what happened this year with the Legislature cutting funding for education. I am the only one that has proven his ethics even when it meant losing votes. I am the only person proven to support area standards.  I know where to make cuts in medical costs. Yes, you can trust your doctor and physician’s assistant.

MR: Three main things make me uniquely qualified to serve as state senator. Education: I have a master’s degree in public policy/philosophy, a bachelor of arts degree in international studies/Russian, a teaching certificate, and a certificate of municipal leadership from Association of Washington Cities. Community service: I have served as chair of Pierce County River Task Force 2009, co-chair of the Puyallup River Task Force and policy advisor to the Washington State Legislative Task Force for Rivers 2009 to present. Experience: I am not a 20-year incumbent, nor am I inexperienced in government and community service. I have worked as a private and public employee, and have served at every level of government, including elected office.

6) Why are you interested in running for public office?

RM: I believe we must return to the citizen legislator. I believe that I can make a difference in education, transportation, employment and healthcare.

MR: The people in this district, including my family and neighbors, need to have someone in office that can be polite and influential over the affairs of the State Senate. I cannot stand by and see our district ridiculed for the behavior of the incumbent any longer. Enough is enough, and it is time for the statesmen and women to enter the arena.

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