School funding key issue for 49th House candidates

Sharon Wylie

Age: 65.

Residence: Vancouver.

Party: Democratic.

Past elected positions: Washington state representative, 2011 to present; Oregon state legislator, 1993-97.

Occupation: Washington state lawmaker, formerly a management consultant on government projects, former lobbyist.

Education: University of California at Riverside, bachelor’s in political science.

Top endorsements: Jam and Dan Wyatt, Jan Oliva, Bob Schaeffer, Vancouver firefighters.

Campaign money raised so far: $38,186.99.

Anson Service

Age: 41.

Residence: Vancouver.

Party affiliation: Republican.

Occupation: Doctor of clinical psychology and clinic director.

Education: WSU Vancouver, bachelor’s degree in psychology; American School of Professional Psychology, master’s degree; American School of professional psychology, Seattle, PsyD.

Past elected experience: Vice president of the Greater Goldendale Area Chamber of Commerce, 2000; WSUV senator, 2004.

Top endorsements: N/A.

Campaign money raised so far: $8,113.00.

Scott Dalesandro

Age: 62.

Residence: Vancouver.

Party: Independent.

Past elected positions: N/A.

Occupation: Logistics manager with Columbia River logistics.

Education: Robert Morris University, bachelor’s degree, studied accounting.

Top endorsements: N/A.

Campaign money raised so far: N/A.

Rep. Sharon Wylie’s long political résumé — once a lobbyist, a former lawmaker in Oregon and now a Washington state representative — is the reason her opponents think it’s time for a change.

“She’s been part of the system for a while,” said Scott Dalesandro, who is running as an independent, adding, “I’m not.”

Anson Service, a Republican, said when a person becomes so entrenched in politics, they forget how to explain what’s really happening in Olympia in a transparent, accessible way.

Service said that with his “background and educational experience” he would have the ability to effectively communicate with constituents.

“It’s one of the biggest areas we’ve been lacking in our current representative — communication simply isn’t there,” he said, adding if elected, he would hold more town halls and give constituents a chance to engage in back-and-forth conversations, rather than use a question-and-answer format.

Wylie sees her background as one reason why voters should re-elect her.

“I have experience in so many different areas and an interest in solving problems,” she said.

If re-elected, one of the Vancouver Democrat’s priorities would be improving consumer protection, particularly when it comes to the elderly.

In her tenure at Olympia, she’s most proud of the vote she cast in favor of marriage equality and a vote approving the Dream Act, expanding financial aid options for students in the country illegally. She was also part of a small coalition that pushed for a harder look at who the state was giving tax breaks to, starting a conversation that is continuing today, she said.

A top priority for Service, he said, is funding the state’s public schools. He believes selling more state-owned products and boosting the fine on violent offenders are ideas worth considering. Only until every other option has been exhausted, should the state consider cutting other programs, he said.

If voters send Service to Olympia, he would like to craft legislation mandating the state’s bars are all equipped with breathalyzers to cut back on drunken driving. He would also like to explore the possibility of implementing a dual immersion language program in the state’s public schools, which he believes could be done without costing more.

Dalesandro thinks it’s time to “really scrutinize” the state’s budgets and trim “the fat” out of each one. But, he admits, a lot of fat would need to be trimmed to fund the state’s schools adequately. He is also in favor of looking at the revenue raised from closing the sales tax exemption Oregon residents get while shopping in Washington.

“I don’t know if that’s something we can afford to do anymore,” he said.

Wylie has supported ending the sales-tax exemption for Oregon shoppers, while Service strongly supports the exemption.