This fall, incumbent Rep. Jay Rodne (R-Snoqualmie) will face Jason Ritchie (D-Issaquah) for the 5th District State House of Representatives, Position 1.
Rodne, 50, has served in various groups since moving here in 1993, including Snoqualmie Valley Rotary, the Issaquah, Sammamish and Snoqualmie Valley Chambers of Commerce, and the American Legion.
The Gonzaga Law grad is a lawyer and colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, and has fought in the Middle East, most recently during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Rodne said that the biggest problems facing Washington are transportation and education funding.
“Mobility is critical…to the health of our economy,” he said. He believes increasing general purpose lanes and improvements to infrastructure will do more to decrease congestion than ST3, November’s light rail measure.
“There is not enough money to do ST3 and [fulfill] the McCleary decision,” Rodne said, referring to the state’s court-mandated obligation to fully fund basic education. Adjusting the budget to provide more money for schools is his top goal.
“I am proud we were able to increase K-12 education funding by $1.3 billion last biennium without a tax increase,” he said.
Rodne’s 2009 sponsorship of the Zackery Lysted Law, the country’s first concussion protocol law, and co-sponsorship of the 2015 Joel’s Law for mental health reforms are his proudest achievements in the House.
“I’m running on 12 years of demonstrated bipartisan effectiveness,” Rodne said. He stated that he “reflects the district” noting that his children grew up and attended public schools here, and he has served in a Snoqualmie Valley PTSA.
Learn more at http://votejayrodne.com.
Ritchie, 45, identifies as a Working Families Democrat advocating for the “kitchen table issues” that concern working-class citizens.
His philosophy is “progress over partisanship.”
The former community college instructor, who holds an M.A. in history from the University of Michigan, owns Handi Habitats, a business that makes homes accessible for people with physical challenges, and teaches part-time at Dartmoor School in Issaquah.
Ritchie’s top goal if elected is also to fulfill McCleary by finding alternate sources of revenue for education. He is open to exploring all options, but is firm on one point: He vows to never vote to increase the tax burden of the middle class.
He wants to bring light rail to the Eastside, but does not support ST3 due to its timeline.
“Thirty-five years is comical,” he said. “I want to see building happening right now…Transportation supports jobs, jobs support housing prices and housing prices support retirement.”
Affordable housing is another issue on Ritchie’s radar. He suggests building a variety of types of residences, such as duplexes and apartment buildings.
“I’m the best person for the job because I’m a small business owner, teacher and parent,” Ritchie said, emphasizing that he represents “working families striving for non-partisan issues.”
He promises to meet with his constituents regularly.
“I’ll sit there and answer questions, explain why I voted the way I did. I want to make myself available.”
Learn more at http://www.ritchieforwa.com.
