Washington State legislative candidates share plans at GOP meeting
Citizen Review
By Lois Krafsky-Perry
May 17, 2010
Port Angeles, WA …Four candidates for the 24th District’s House of Representatives, shared ideas, May 17th, at the Clallam County Republican Party headquarters.
Approximately 60 people listened carefully to Sequim resident Jim McEntire, and Larry Carter, from Port Ludlow, who is vying for the position that State Representative Lyn Kessler is vacating. She has decided to retire and will not be running again.
Dan Gase of Port Angeles and Craig Durgan, from Jefferson County, are running for the seat currently held by Kevin Van De Wege from Sequim.
McEntire desires a fiscal conservative approach to governance. He also wants businesses to have the ability to create more jobs.
He determines to inject common sense, not ideology, into environmental plans.
McEntire also wants to repeal taxes, just increased.
“We need a change in governance in Washington State,” announced the 28-year veteran officer of the US Coast Guard. He was also elected to the Clallam County Port Commission in 2007.
McEntire said he would be a responsible servant. “I know how to make hard choices. I understand how to make tough decisions,” he declared.
Bringing the budget into balance is paramount for the candidate.
He shared figures, which were spent in the Legislature and noted that $48 billion dollars have already been presumed for the next session.
When concerns were raised by an attendee about the lack of jobs in our area for youth, who need to leave town to find work, McEntire said, “I want to see Washington State, a right-to-work state.”
McEntire wants to serve the people and believes he can do the job for the 24th District.
Larry Carter, a former Navy nuclear power plant operator, believes integrity needs to be restored. Slashing spending, as well as growing sovereignty is important to the other candidate seeking the office being vacated by Kessler. "We need an amendment for term limits,” he said.
The raising of taxes inspired the Jefferson County citizen to run for this office. “We need to do some serious audits,” he announced.
He wants term limits for state representative in government-held offices. “If their 6 to 8 year agenda is not accomplished, then step aside,” suggested Carter. The candidate says he will run on integrity, which he learned years ago as a Boy Scout of America. He then recited the motto.
Dan Gase, a U S Air force veteran (national and internationally) said, “ I am running full speed ahead to be your next state representative for position one.”
He said he is running because he is frustrated by decisions in Olympia. He noted a recent comment by a leader in state government who said, “It is time to suspend the will of the people.” This statement alarmed Gase and also inspired him to run for office.
Gase, President and CEO of a local business, is concerned about the future of his grandchildren. He was also past VP of First Federal Bank over 20 years ago. He formerly worked in the private sector in Las Vegas and began working at Safeway, while in high school.
Gase believes that Olympia needs to distinguish between needs and wants and he plans to focus on important needs. He also believes it is important to look at long-term ramifications to decisions. More efficiency is needed in the legislature, observes the candidate.
He would also like to start the process of establishing Washington State as the number 1 business friendly state.
Health care is a badly broken and very discouraging system, according to Gase.
Craig Durgan, a US Merchant Marine Academy graduate, is running for the office now held by an incumbent.
“We need to get our country back," he said. He desires to make sure our country stays the way of the US and the Washington State Constitution. “It is being eroded, and has been for the past one hundred years,” he announced.
He would like to see words put into legislation that would ensure words in the Constitution mean what they say.
Durgan is saddened that Initiative 960 (I-960) was set aside. The people voted and there was a 2/3 majority yet, “ they” [the legislature] used an emergency provision to kill it.
"The bureaucracy in government is so large they are a power unto themselves,” announced Durgan. He would like to abolish the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) system. He declares he would like to revise our government under the Constitution. “We have lost control. The people are the ones that should have control and politicians should fear them. [The people]".
Durgan said that he does not think it is right that union money or environmental groups influence decisions. He stated that he does not want to beholden to anyone but the voters.
The candidate is also concerned that the GMA (Growth Management Act) is a killer of local business. He cited building opportunities and building stopped by the GMA restrictions in Jefferson County.