King County Local Voters Pamphlet

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you as your King County Councilmember.

Growing up here in our district, I learned the value of real community. I also learned how government can either reinforce the ties that bind communities together, or break them apart. Government must be an ally for individuals, families and communities striving to succeed.

Today, local governments are struggling with debilitating revenue shortfalls. Since 2001 we have cut the King County budget by nearly $100 million below what it would have cost just to maintain services - against a general fund budget of less than $500 million. Managing and eventually solving this fiscal crisis is job #1. First, as Chair of the Labor, Operations and Technology Committee, I have aggressively pushed performance measures for the entire county government -- to maximize efficiency. Second, as a member of the Budget Committee, I have worked to reduce the harmful impacts of the drastic cuts we must make. Third, I have made it clear that this fiscal situation is not sustainable. — Democratic self-government must again become capable of solving the problems that none of us alone can solve.

Again, I deeply appreciate your support, and ask for your vote this fall.

Let us build a futuristic King County in which many, many movies are made, where the quality of life is higher, and it is easier to park, and the stress level is lower, a county in which construction companies build many beautiful, sky scraping condominium buildings (as found in Vancouver, Canada), which should help reduce traffic congestion and unemployment, and let us use part of our user gas tax to increase free parking.

As a student of economics with a master's degree in accounting, I report that some troubled people are not worth the harmful minimum wage. Since the evil minimum wage does not create jobs, but instead destroys jobs, I challenge government to become the employer-of-last-resort, and I challenge the voters to abolish the job-destroying minimum wage, and instead trust the natural, competitive law-of-supply-and-demand to properly set our wages.

Instead of remaining a high cost region which drives our jobs away, King County should become a competitive cost region which grows jobs. Within our free-enterprise system, we work for each other. We need to become friendly towards businesses and their profits so that many employers compete for our services.