Residents in the 18th Legislative District deserve lawmakers who focus on many issues at once and act with transparency and trustworthiness. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends a vote for Democrat John Zingale or Republican Philip Johnson for state representative, Position 2.
As always, this is merely a recommendation, designed to provide information and foster discussion. The Columbian encourages voters to study the candidates and the issues before casting an informed vote in a race that is unusually complicated.
Three candidates are seeking to succeed Greg Cheney, who this year is running for the state Senate. The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 6 primary will advance to the November general election.
Zingale is a middle-school history teacher in Vancouver Public Schools and is focusing his campaign on livability issues such as housing affordability and access to education and health care. For example, during an interview with the Editorial Board, he said he would like the Legislature to reconsider rent stabilization bills that failed to pass this year.
He believes the state can build on Vancouver’s Safe Stay model to help reduce homelessness, and he says of a proposed Interstate 5 Bridge: “The reason it’s costing so much is it was killed 10 years ago. Let’s be forward-thinking about this.” Regarding proposed tolls on a new bridge, he notes that the Legislature can implement rebates, particularly for low- and middle-income residents.
Zingale is firm in expressing his beliefs without being strident. Responding to a fellow candidate during the Editorial Board interview, he said: “He’s saying the No. 1 cause of homelessness is addiction, and that’s flat-out false. I’m tired of that narrative.”
Johnson also can be firm in his beliefs. Following a career in the U.S. Army, he served as a Battle Ground city councilor and mayor, making him the only candidate who has held elected office.
On the issue of homelessness, Johnson expresses particular concern about older residents being priced out of longtime homes. On the related issue of housing costs, he notes, “The affordability issue comes from D.C. and from Olympia,” and says that allowing municipalities more leeway in zoning policies can help increase the housing stock. He also stresses adequate funding for law enforcement and working to lower the cost of living for residents.
The underlying issue in the race was highlighted when Zingale told the Editorial Board, “I live in the 18th District, I work in the 18th, I’m raising my family in the 18th.”
There are questions about whether that can be said of the third candidate in the race, Republican John Ley. In 2022, Ley ran for the same position but was revealed to not be residing in the district; a Clark County Superior Court judge ruled him ineligible for that race, and he is facing an October trial date on a felony charge of election fraud.
Ley has long been actively opposed to the I-5 Bridge proposal and has made that the centerpiece of his campaign, declaring himself an expert on transportation issues and a fiscal conservative. But there is nothing fiscally conservative about his desire to halt current planning, which would waste millions of dollars and years of preparation.
As Johnson told the Editorial Board: “John (Ley) says he’s running for the people. John’s running for himself.” It is ironic that Ley lists “transparency” as one of his values when his residency has been shrouded by subterfuge.
The Editorial Board believes the people of the 18th District would be better served by John Zingale or Philip Johnson.
