Cheryl Pflug

Published 2:30 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

1. Name: Cheryl Pflug

2. Age: 43

3. Political party affiliation: Republican

4. Occupation: Mother, RN, state representative

5. Family members: married 20 years to Bryan Pflug, children

ages 8,11,13 and 15

6. Why are you running for office? I want to protect the

unique community character and quality of life which we enjoy in this area. I

believe that the decisions made in Olympia have a real impact on our

ability to do that.

7. What are the issues that the constituents in your area would

like you to address? Education, property taxes,

traffic congestion, environmental responsibility, government reform.

8. How would you address those issues? Education:

Stay the course on higher standards and accountability, provide needed

resources and local flexibility to allow schools to meet standards, provide

regional housing allowances to allow schools to pay competitive wages and

reward excellence and dedication with merit pay.

Property Taxes: We should phase out the state portion of the

property tax and tighten the “emergency” loophole by requiring a public vote

to approve local property tax increases that are in excess of the Ref. 47

limit. Transportation: 1) The Legislature must develop an effective plan to

provide long-term congestion relief via an integrated network of locally

appropriate solutions that support our lifestyles. This must include

increased road capacity in areas like ours where infrastructure is lacking. Transit

may be useful in the more dense urban areas but should be safe, convenient,

and fast. 2) The state portion of sales tax from automobiles and

auto-related sales should be dedicated to transportation. 3) The Legislature must put

accountability measures in place to gain public confidence that their

money will be wisely spent. Environmental responsibility:

We need science-based programs and regulations to

preserve our environment for the benefit of both people and wildlife.

Government Reform: 1) Competitive

bidding for appropriate state services: Eliminating the legal barriers to

contracting out services would reduce costs by increasing fair competition. 2)

Zero-based budgeting: Requiring agencies to build budgets from the ground

up, having to justify each expense, would eliminate unnecessary spending.

3) Performance audits and sunset laws: Granting the state auditor the

authority to conduct performance audits would identify waste and

inefficiencies in state government. Strengthening our sunset laws would allow us

to eliminate waste and inefficiency. 4) Civil service

reform: Giving agency directors more flexibility in

recognizing exemplary state workers and removing arcane rules which

inhibit optimal personnel management techniques would increase productivity.

5) Regulatory reform: Restraining overzealous agencies by narrowly

restricting their rule-making authority would reduce unnecessary and

unauthorized regulations.

9. In the Snoqualmie Valley, as well as throughout the

changed? How should it be changed? I don’t think it needs to be changed so

much as complied with. However, the state should adopt water and

transportation policies that make it possible for

local government to support their comprehensive plans.

10. What can state legislators do to address concerns about

protecting salmon and salmon habitat? The legislature has created and

funded the Salmon Recovery Funding Board to fund habitat preservation

projects, but the governor has repeatedly vetoed attempts to define habitat goals.

Goals must be set in order to prioritize projects and maintain the

accountability of public resources.

11. Water is becoming scarcer as more people move into the

We need to move toward a regionalized water system which includes

increased storage of seasonal excess to provide water for domestic use and

in-stream flow maintenance in the dry(er) season. New technologies, such as

permeable road surfaces, which minimize runoff and promote recharging

of aquifers, are under development. Additional infrastructure to allow

treatment and re-use for industrial applications should be investigated

and planned for.

12. Lastly, why should a voter cast his or her ballot for you?

I have kept my election promises. I make it my priority to stay informed

about, and connected to, all of our communities, to be accessible to every

citizen, and to keep my legislative agenda focused on the concerns of our

district. I am an effective advocate for the people I am privileged to represent.