They’re running to fill Haler’s House seat. And they have more than that in common

As Richland Republican Larry Haler retires from the Washington House of Representatives, 8th District voters face a choice to send either a Republican or Democrat to succeed him in the Position 2 spot.

Republican Matt Boehnke is a Tri-City native who returned home after retiring from the Army. He serves on the Kennewick City Council and leads the cybersecurity program at Columbia Basin College. His focus is on the economy, education and energy.

Democrat Christopher Tracy is a first-time political candidate who moved to Richland with his wife, Jayne, about a year ago but who has owned rental property in the Tri-Cities for a decade. A retired educator and union negotiator, he is running as an educator, negotiator and problem solver.

Boehnke received nearly 40 percent of the ballots cast in the three-way August primary. Tracy was a close second with 37 percent. Retired Tri-City Herald publisher Gregg McConnell, running as a Republican, placed third with 23 percent and did not advance to the general election.

The candidates are evenly matched in fund raising, with Boehnke raising $35,300 and Tracy $33,300, according to campaign reports to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Boehnke provided $3,300 to his campaign. His largest other supporter is the Washington Affordable Housing Council, a.k.a. the Washington Building Industry Association. Tracy has provided more than $24,000 to his campaign. His largest other supporter is the Benton County Democratic Central Committee.

The candidates are both endorsed by their respective parties.

The 8th District covers most of Kennewick, Richland and West Richland.

In related races, Sen. Sharon Brown, a Richland Republican, is running against Democrat Leo Perales of Kennewick to represent the 8th in the state Senate. Rep. Brad Klippert, a Kennewick Republican, is running against Shir Regev, a Richland Democrat, to represent the 8th in the state House in Position 1.

Backgrounds

Boehnke graduated from Kamiakin High School and Eastern Washington University, then spent 21 years as an Army helicopter pilot, earning a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He retired to his hometown with his wife, Dawn, and children, working on cyber security for the Army Corps and then for Energy Northwest.

He directs the four-year cyber security program at CBC and is an assistant professor within the computer department. He successfully challenged Bob Olson for a seat on the Kennewick City Council in 2015. He owns a security tech company as well.

Tracy is University of Washington graduate who earned a master’s from Emporia State University in Kansas.

A 40-year educator, he taught on Guam and spent 30 years in the Northshore School District, which is near Seattle. He has taught at every level and is a past Washington Teacher-Librarian of the Year, given by the Washington Library Media Association. He spent 20 years as a union negotiator, an experience he says taught him to play well with others.

While he’s a newcomer to the Tri-Cities, his association dates to the 1970s, when he began attending hydroplane races.

McCleary education spending

The 2018 Legislature revamped the way K-12 education is funded in Washington to comply the state Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary ruling, which held it was failing its constitutional duty to fund basic education.

The Legislature added $1 billion in new funding, much of it focused on teacher salaries. Locally, property tax payers saw a substantial increase in their bills as the state’s new school tax took effect. The tax rate should drop in the future as school districts run smaller local levies.

Both Boehnke and Tracy say the job is unfinished.

Tracy wants lawmakers to turn their focus to aspects other than teacher salaries, such as high-poverty schools. He notes Richland receives more funding than Pasco because of its higher housing costs, an arrangement that doesn’t reflect the ease of living across district boundaries, a situation he called “muddy.”

“The devil is in the details,” he said, noting that Washington committed to lowering class sizes but never got to grades four to 12.

Boehnke called the McCleary legislation a good first step that needs further work. He called out pay for paraeducators, the need for more mental health support and school security as areas needing attention.

Native by birth or native by choice?

Boehnke draws on deep roots in the Tri-Cities.

He played football at Kamiakin and violin, and came home after retiring as a lieutenant colonel in the Army. Outside of his professional duties, he has served on the city’s arts commission, directed the Water Follies Air Show and been an active member of his church.

The 8th district should be represented by someone who grew up in the Tri-Cities, he said.

Tracy said his newcomer status should not be held against him. He too brings a history of service in the form of teaching.

“I’m part of the new Tri-Cities,” he said. “I wasn’t born here. I moved here by choice.”

The party line?

Tracy calls himself a moderate Democrat who doesn’t always hew to the party line. For example, he opposes Initiative 1631, the carbon tax proposal touted by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee. He called himself a compromiser who will work from the center of the political spectrum.

Tri-Citians should send a Democrat to Olympia to have a voice in the Democrat-controlled House and Senate, Ryan said

“It’s in the interests of Tri-Citians to elect a Democrat to champion Eastern Washington in the caucus,” he said.

Boehnke is a conservative, but not necessarily a party-line one. For instance, he supported The Link, the 2017 sales tax request by the Kennewick Public Facilities District. The request, which failed, would have expanded the Three Rivers Convention Center and built a Broadway-style theater.

Benton County Republicans opposed the measure, as did some of Boehnke’s allies.

But Boehnke said the arts support his vision for an economy that leverages the area’s strengths — agriculture and energy.

Boehnke said serving in a Republican minority would not hinder Tri-City interests. He would rise faster in the party, he notes.

He too opposes I-1631, calling it regulatory overreach and a burden that puts small business at risk.

Ballots were mailed Oct. 17 and must be returned or postmarked by Nov. 6 to be counted. Postage is prepaid.

Online voter registration has closed, but walk-ins are accepted through Oct. 29. The Benton County auditor’s offices are at the Prosser courthouse, 620 Market St., the Kennewick annex, 5600 W. Canal Drive, and the Richland annex, 101 Wellsian Way. The Franklin auditor’s office is at the county courthouse, 1016 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco.

This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 12:39 PM.