Skyview High School senior Anthony Bittner is the latest candidate to throw his hat in the crowded race for the open 18th District legislative seat.
The seat is being vacated by Rep. Jaime Herrera, R-Camas, who is running for Congress.
Although just 17, Bittner will turn 18 — and be eligible to serve in the Legislature — in April, well before the June filing deadline for the 2010 election.
He plans to announce his candidacy at 2 p.m. today at the Three Creeks Library, 800 N.E. Tenney Road in Vancouver.
Bittner describes himself as a Republican with independent ideas and conservative values.
“As the son of a small-business owner, I have experienced firsthand the oppressiveness and unfair burden the government forces upon hard-working families,” he said in a statement.
He said he already feels burdened by the state’s budget deficit and would work to reduce government’s intrusion into private lives and the business world.
Other candidates in the race are talking about job creation, Bittner said in an interview, but he disagrees with that approach. “They want to give money to these companies,” he said. “I think we should be taking away the tax burden. I don’t think it should be the government’s job to create jobs. It’s the job of businesses to create jobs.”
A varsity wrestler in his freshman and sophomore years, Bittner is taking five courses this term, including oceanography and law and justice, and he’s enrolled in the Science Math Technology magnet program at Skyview.
He is a member of the Young Life club and a finalist in the Mr. Skyview Pageant, which raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He plans to study business and political science at Clark College in the fall.
