Lori Bechtold
Published 2:31 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
5th District, House of Representatives, Position 2
1. Name: Lori Bechtold
2. Age: 39
3. Political party affiliation: Democrat
4. Occupation: Engineer
5. Family members: Married, two children
6. Why are you running for office? I’m running to protect our
high quality of life in the 5th District and to provide a new voice for those
concerned with protecting the environment, controlling growth and
helping our schools.
7. What are the issues that the constituents in your area would
like you to address? The key issues are growth management, traffic
congestion and quality education.
8. How would you address those issues?
We need a comprehensive, long-range transportation
plan that goes further than just building new roads. More road capacity is
needed, but will only solve the short-term needs. We must include mass
transit, telecommuting, carpool lanes and other creative ways to decrease
our dependency on cars. In areas of high growth, developers should pay
impact fees for the expansion of road capacity to meet the new demands so
the burden on taxpayers is reduced. New growth should only be permitted if
the infrastructure really supports it. All levels of government should be
involved and support local area needs.
9. In the Snoqualmie Valley, as well as throughout the
Puget Sound region, growth is a major concern of many residents. Is
the state Growth Management Act effective in helping local
governments make smart decisions about development? Should it be
changed? How should it be changed? The GMA has succeeded in protecting
our open spaces by forcing new growth to occur in the areas identified
for growth, and it has helped prevent suburban sprawl. One issue that comes
up often is the concurrency provisions, that is, how long after new
development shall funds, such as developer impact fees, be held before road
improvements are implemented? Currently, these funds are held up to
six years. In six years, a lot of growth can occur and a lot of traffic can build
up. I’d like to see roads built no more than three years after new development.
10. What can state legislators do to address concerns about
protecting salmon and salmon habitat? The Shoreline Management Act
must be enforced, allowing a buffer of green space next to salmon-bearing
streams. This provides shade and cooler waters for spawning. In addition, the
state Legislature should investigate providing fish ladders or other
alternative routes around dams for spawning salmon.
11. Water is becoming scarcer as more people move into the
area. One example of that is the North Fork of the Issaquah Creek
drying up this summer. What can be done to protect our water resources?
We must control water usage better, mostly by limiting growth and
development and carefully considering commercial usage, such as that
required by the new gravel mine at Grouse Ridge. Water-recharge
areas should be protected from development to protect groundwater levels.
12. Lastly, why should a voter cast his or her ballot for you?
A lot is at stake in this election. I will
fight hard to protect our quality of life and provide a voice for protecting
our clean water, clean air and the environment. I will represent the citizens
of the 5th District and work hard for all that we care about.
