Letters published Nov. 2

Former sheriff endorses Raebel

With the retirement of our county coroner, only one candidate possess the skills necessary to lead the Coroner’s Office. That person is Jamie Raebel.

I’ve known Jamie for nearly 37 years both personally and in his official capacity as a detective sergeant. Jamie has demonstrated superior skills in management, supervision, budgetary planning, education, death investigations and the compassion dealing with grieving family and friends. Jamie L is a full-time detective supervisor and major crimes investigator, not a part time employee.

He has received endorsements from elected officials, veteran law enforcement officers and so many other people. These are Benton County citizens who have known the skills and abilities that both candidates have and come out publicly in support of Jamie Raebel as our next coroner.

As a lifelong resident of Benton County and a 33-year veteran of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, I’m asking for your support in voting for Jamie Raebel as our next Benton County coroner.

Regev is right for Eighth District

Voters in Legislative District 8 have a clear choice in Position 1 between Shir Regev, who will represent all the people, or the incumbent, who believes that only some people are worthy of a seat at the table. Shir Regev believes that no child should go hungry, and her opponent thinks that children should be punished by depriving them of breakfast if they show up late for school.

Shir was born and raised in the Tri-Cities and will speak for all who think that our residents should live without fear of the government and should have livable wages and access to education. Shir listens and thinks that everyone deserves a voice, even those who disagree with her. She is thoughtful and won’t be part of the divisiveness and fear-mongering that characterizes much of the current political debate.

Please join us in voting for Shir Regev.

TRIDEC opposes I-1631

As election day approaches, I wanted to share some thoughts on I-1631, the Carbon Tax Initiative. Simply put, this initiative would make Washington State less competitive for business. That is why the TRIDEC Board of Directors recently voted to join many other statewide and local organizations in our opposition to I-1631.

If passed, Washington could be the first and only state to tax CO2. We believe this sends a strong message that Washington is unfriendly to business. In the fierce competition to attract and retain businesses that provide family-wage jobs, the tax would cause companies to re-evaluate investment and job creation plans, or even remove Washington from consideration.

I-1631 will add 14 cents to a gallon of gasoline and increase energy costs for businesses and families. The nearly $700 million of taxes collected from the Initiative will be distributed by an appointed (non-elected) board with few guidelines and little oversight.

Washington State already has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the nation, and its impact on global carbon emissions is barely measurable. I-1631 is simply not worth the cost to our residents or the damage it would do to the State’s business climate. I urge everyone to vote no!

Vote Brown for our 4th District

Do you want your member of Congress to actually represent your interests over those of big business? If so, Christine Brown is your candidate. Christine Brown’s campaign is funded by small individual donations, not PAC money. Dan Newhouse gets over 60 percent of his contributions from corporate PACs!

We need to stop expecting politicians funded by corporate PACs to defend our interests. Just as big tobacco bought off the government for decades, corporations are deciding our public policies today.

Consider Newhouse’s effort to exempt megafarms, like concentrated animal feeding operations, from regulations over disposal of animal waste. Under a bill introduced by Newhouse, H.R.848, cow feces and urine from megafarms and dairies would not have to conform to the Animal Waste Disposal Act. They would not have to respond to reports of unsafe well water or other documented public health hazards resulting from pollution of our groundwater, or rivers.

If your child develops blue baby syndrome from nitrate contaminants, too bad. Ingest e. Coli while floating the Yakima? Tough. If Dan Newhouse has his way, you have no recourse.

But you have recourse now — with your ballot. Vote Christine Brown for Congress, in Washington’s 4th Congressional District.

Ex-judge urges vote for Gonzalez

As a retired local Superior Court judge, I am voting to retain Justice Steven Gonzalez on Washington’s Supreme Court.

His reputation, previously as a trial judge and now as a Supreme Court justice, is outstanding. Justice Gonzalez is smart, thoughtful and hardworking. He is dedicated to the careful, fair application of the law, including the U.S. and Washington state Constitutions, and to the principles of equal access to justice for everyone. Justice Gonzalez is a man of unquestioned integrity, who has distinguished himself as an articulate and thoughtful justice and leader of our state’s judiciary. He has presented himself to bar associations around the state and has been rated exceptionally well-qualified by each of them. As an attorney, he prosecuted terrorism, hate crimes and domestic violence and worked as a business attorney.

In sharp contrast, his opponent has no judicial experience, has avoided ratings by members of the bar, is being sued by the state Attorney General for campaign finance violations and was found by the King County Bar Association to have violated its Fair Campaign Guidelines. Please join me in voting to retain Justice Steve Gonzalez on our Supreme Court. Washington needs his experience, dedication to fairness and sound judgment.

Francik has had right experience

As I read the letters to the editor in support of candidates Rebecca Francik and Skyler Rude for 16th District Representative, I’m asked to compare the candidate’s accomplishments, community service, and position on local and state issues. In my comparisons, the trait that stands out is experience. Francik’s 21 years as an elected member of the Pasco City Council indicates her ability to cooperate in a nonpartisan position. The evidence of experience is reinforced in her presence on Facebook, her webpage and numerous political flyers sent via USPS and the flyer dropped on my doorstep.

The endorsement by the Tri-City Herald shows their belief that she has proven the ability to carry the voice of the 16th District to Olympia. Her opponent states his experience as an aide for Sen. Maureen Walsh. In the endorsement, he admits that Francik would probably make connections in the Legislature quickly.

Finally, it became evident as I watched the forum sponsored by the League of Women voters, Rebecca will receive my vote. She was prepared in her opening and closing statements as well as her responses to the questions.

I would be proud to have Rebecca Francik represent my interests in Olympia.

Sen. Brown has earned our vote

For many years, we have worked with Senator Brown to advance opportunities for young people in the Mid-Columbia. She is unwavering in her support and steadfast in her belief that all young people benefit from a solid STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.

Sen. Brown played a critical role in securing funding to build our local STEM high school and continues to fight for opportunities for all young people in our region. Her active leadership and support of WSU-Tri-Cities has been critical to advancing campus improvements.

Sen. Brown is intelligent and educated, well-prepared on a vast array of topics and extraordinarily hard working. She is a delightful contrast of relentless warrior mixed with a kind, compassionate servant leader.

We wholeheartedly endorse Sen. Brown, are proud of how she has represented our district and encourage you to join us in voting to re-elect her.

Replace coroner in Franklin County

After reading the Herald’s endorsement of the current Franklin County coroner, I decided that I needed to know more. So I did some of my own investigative work. I went to the Franklin County website and visited the coroner’s section.

The coroner has the authority to request an inquest at any time there is a death that is not natural. The meaning of an inquest is, “The coroner may summon a coroner’s jury of six citizens to hear evidence and render a verdict as to cause of death. In the case of Mr. Zambrano-Montes, the inquest cost the county a lot of money to determine the cause of death. Three separate professionally trained agencies reported what the cause of death was and that it was justified. I think it was well documented. Mr. Blasdel has said he wanted to provide transparency and to see if the death was justified. What experience, training or education does Mr. Blasdel have that makes him qualified to determine if a death is justified? I believe the coroner stepped out of bounds of his authority by holding an inquest in that case.

It’s time for a change in the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.

Boehnke is best for District Eight

The Tri-Cities has a proven leader with integrity, Matt Boehnke. He has the experience we need in Olympia. Matt grew up in Kennewick. After graduating from Kamiakin High School, he married his high school sweetheart (Dawn), then served a career in the U.S. Army while raising two sons, Matthew and Brandon.

Matt is for education, energy and the economy. Matt’s highest priority is fiscal health of our district. He is a local councilman, educator and veteran. Matt is an active member of our community collaborating with culturally diverse groups including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Water Follies Air Show, Tri-City Americans, American Legion and Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition. He invests in our future by teaching cyber security courses at Columbia Basin College and is a current Washington Education Association (WEA) member. He supports building our workforce through vocational and apprentice programs at high schools, expanding WSU-Tri-Cities and CBC, protecting the power grid from threats, funding research and technologies, recruiting and retaining businesses and creating jobs.

As a current WEA member, and former Hanford professional, I urge you to consider Matt Boehnke for state representative, District 8, Position 2. Let Matt work for us!

No on I-1631, yes on carbon tax

I strongly support a carbon tax but I’m voting no on Initiative 1631. First, the Yes on 1631 folks are dishonest when they say tax Big Oil and the natural gas companies, that it’s time they pay their fair share. Companies don’t pay taxes. You and I pay the taxes. Any tax on a company is built into the cost of the goods or service we buy. Your gallon of gas and the heat in your home is going to cost you more. It’s not costing Chevron and it’s not costing Cascade Natural Gas. It’s costing you. Yes on 1631 needs to be honest about that.

Second, there is little accountability on how the collected tax money will be spent. Further, none of the petroleum tax is directed toward road and highway maintenance even though it’s collected on the gas we buy. This makes it difficult to raise additional funds in the years to come. The deferred road maintenance shortfall in our state is over $500 million per year. I-1631 needs to be better thought out. I support the concept and I support paying my fair share. It’s the dishonesty in the campaign and the specifics in I-1631 that I find issue with.

Pay attention, vote ... and don’t swipe election signs

This election is more important than ever. Be sure to understand the issues and the candidates. Pay attention to the info in the voters pamphlet you got in the mail and vote your conscience!

Stealing/removing election signs is an evil, unpatriotic tactic. Shame on those who perpetrate this bad behavior. Don’t do it. It subverts the integrity of the election process and violates the First Amendment rights of others.

You know who you are.