WEST PLAINS – Two Democrats, Tom McGarry and Christian McLachlan, are running against incumbent Jenny Graham (R) for Position 2 state representative in District 6. Ballots are expected to be mailed July 17 with the primary elections, which will eliminate one candidate from this race, taking place August 4.
McGarry advocates for data-driven approach to COVID response, economic recovery
A housing attorney and chair of the board of fire commissioners in Spokane County Fire District 9, Tom McGarry is looking to take the next step into public office. McGarry, 61, supports a data-driven response to the COVID-19 pandemic and wants to “put politics aside” while looking to help both the economy and public health state recover.
McGarry said he hopes to see a bipartisan response to the pandemic.
“I think we need to come to an agreement that there is a problem,” McGarry said on COVID-19. “Some people just don’t seem to take it very seriously…I’m optimistic that people in Olympia and elsewhere want what’s best for their constituents.”
McGarry said he wants politics to go by the wayside when trying to solve issues that he thinks should be non-partisan, like the response to the pandemic.
“I’m not afraid to reach across the aisle,” McGarry said.
“I’m not going to promote false conspiracy theories,” he continued. “I think the most important thing that any leader can do … is put out actual facts. Let’s not put out fear mongering.”
In order to help the struggling economy recover, McGarry said he wants to advocate for rural broadband so that everyone can have access to telecommunicating, distance learning and efficiently working from home.
McGarry said in order to be able to fully recover the economy, the virus has to be wrangled first.
He said it’s important that legislation doesn’t allow Eastern Washington to be disproportionately affected by impending state budget cuts, and suggested that legislation look into closing tax loopholes and tax breaks for state corporations, if those breaks help create jobs and make up for lost revenue.
McGarry said as a housing attorney, homelessness is an important issue for him to address in a possible public office position. He noted that a large number of homeless people are veterans and suggested that there needs to be more housing in Spokane to help solve the issue.
Overall, McGarry said he wants to run for public office to represent Eastern Washington at the state level.
“I think what really pushed me into running this year is that we have some very serious problems and issues that need to be addressed,” McGarry said. “I see the need for representation for Eastern Washington.”
Graham stands up for criminal justice victims
Incumbent Jenny Graham, 55, is seeking a second term in District 6 Pos. 1, because, as she puts it, she loves the community and wants to fight for it and pass it on to future generations.
“I love Spokane,” Graham said. “I want to pass that on to the next generation to enjoy.”
Graham considers herself a strong advocate for public safety and the protection of victims of violent criminal activity.
“This is something that I’m passionate about … balance in our justice system,” Graham said. “Victims do not get a fair hand in our justice system.”
She said she’s also an advocate for mental health and wants to make sure mentally ill people have resources they need to seek treatment and build a better life.
Graham also wants to see an end to “mask-shaming.”
“If somebody is wearing a mask, they’re taking responsibility for their health and for other people’s health … if they’re doing that, stop shaming them,” Graham said. “But I think it’s equally wrong for individuals that are disabled or do have underlying health issues that I’m talking to quite frequently, that they are being shamed.”
Graham said the priority during the COVID-19 is protecting the most vulnerable population. However, she worries that if steps aren’t taken to re-open the economy, there won’t be money for services that people rely on.
“That’s firefighters, that’s law enforcement, that’s education,” Graham said. “We’re not going to necessarily going to get that money from the federal government, and we shouldn’t be relying on that.”
“This virus isn’t going away. We’re not going to wait it out,” Graham continued. “We have to find a way to be able to function and take steps for personal safety…and work with each other to get through this.”
Graham supports a cautious and phased re-opening of the economy. She wants the legislation to be more involved in the decision making concerning state re-openings. Currently, state legislation is not very involved in these decisions.
“We should have it that (Gov. Jay Inslee) is at the table, we’re at the table, and you’re being able to work with your local elected officials and health officers to figure out what is the best fit for that county or that city, because their needs may be different than five counties over,” Graham said.
McLachlan supports Medicare for all, suggests tiered minimum wage by type of business
Christian McLachlan, 25, is currently enrolled at Spokane Community College as a business accounting student. He’s also running to be a state representative in District 6.
McLachlan was inspired to run by the since-suspended presidential campaign of Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.
“I want to return the Democratic Party to the standards we ran underneath FDR and JFK,” McLachlan said.
McLachlan wants to see Medicare health care for everyone supplemented by capitalistic policies, similar to a system in the United Kingdom.
“When you have a socialist-implemented baseline for Medicare, the capitalist market has to build upon that, which benefits everyone,” McLachlan said.
He said he’d start by seeing about raising the equivalent of $100 per person in state funding to be used for Medicare and steadily expand upon that.
McLachlan wants to develop a “Pre-emptive Pandemic Response” and said he supports a seven-days-open, 14-days-closed re-opening plan.
“Leaving everything open indefinitely would be a bad decision, but closing everything is oppressive to the people’s freedoms, so that’s an area where I think a more moderate approach would be appropriate,” McLachlan said.
McLachlan advocates for a minimum wage that’s $10 an hour for small businesses, $13.50 an hour for regional businesses and $15 an hour for large corporations.
He also wants jobs to be created by advocating for an electric railway to be built from Spokane to Seattle, with stops in towns like Yakima and Wenatchee.
“The whole point would be to get people employed and increase our green footprint,” McLachlan said. “I would look at utilizing both a mix of taxes acquired from the people and a mix of private investments…there would be returns on the taxes acquired from the people.”
McLachlan wants to create a $50,000 tax exemption for property and $5,000 for automotive purchases.
“I believe that decreasing taxes in those areas would actually increase people’s incentive to buy vehicles and buy houses,” McLachlan said. “I (want) to increase public spending on things like houses and automobiles.”
McLachlan also wants to mandate rehabilitation programs for illegal drug use before putting them in prison. He said they should go to prison for six months if they then violate their rehabilitation program.
“That way we fix the problem rather than harassing people for something that needs to be fixed for them,” McLachlan said.
Drew Lawson can be reached at [email protected].
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