Is it time for change in 49th Legislative District? Newcomers challenge 3 incumbents

The three incumbent Democrats representing the 49th Legislative District are all facing political newcomers on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Senate

Republican Lucia Worthington is challenging Sen. Annette Cleveland, a Democrat who was elected in 2012 and currently serves as chair of the Senate committee on health and long-term care.

At a Monday League of Women Voters forum in Vancouver, Worthington said she’s running to bring the fresh perspective of a political newcomer to the Senate. After a career in business, she taught the subject at Clark College for about a decade.

“We’ve got some serious problems, especially crime,” Worthington said.

Cleveland pointed to her career as a congressional staffer and then working in the field of health care policy.

“The most important skill that I bring to this work is my understanding of policy and policy development and also an ability to negotiate,” Cleveland said.

The two differ on most issues, largely along political lines. Worthington opposes tolls and light rail on the proposed Interstate Bridge replacement, state-funded child care and additional funding for schools. At the forum, she also questioned climate change and regulations restricting natural gas.

“There’s far too much taxation, and there is waste in government that I’ve personally seen as an educator,” Worthington said, adding she believes in personal responsibility.

Cleveland said her priorities are access to health care, education, jobs, mental health services, housing and child care.

“I work very hard to invest in our future and to invest in maintaining and improving and expanding the quality of life that we are so fortunate to enjoy here in this part of the country,” she said.

House Position 1

Republican Brett Graham is challenging Rep. Sharon Wylie, a Democrat who has served in the state House since 2011. She currently serves as vice chair of the House transportation committee.

Wylie touts her decades of experience in government.

“I have the skills to understand the system, and I have a good sense of how to represent people,” Wylie said.

Graham works as a process technician at Polaris but has held a variety of jobs over the years.

He called himself the “new kid on the block” at the Monday forum.

“You all know that I don’t have much experience here,” Graham said. “I’m primarily here because I don’t know what’s going on. Why are things falling apart the way they are?

“My current job is process technician and what that means is I analyze, I diagnose, I find the reasons why things are going wrong … and I find the solution to the problem,” Graham said.

He expressed frustration with increasing taxes and a failing education system.

His lack of experience showed during the Monday forum, however, when he failed to answer questions about the child care crisis and the Climate Commitment Act. When the moderator posed a question about lowering the threshold for passage of school bonds, Graham asked for a definition of “school bond.” After the moderator explained that school bonds are voter-approved property taxes to pay for school construction, he ultimately said he’d oppose additional funding for schools.

“I focus a lot around student education,” Graham said. “We have to start fixing this for the students in the future, to provide the future that we want.”

Wylie said she supports lowering the threshold needed to pass a school bond and paying child care providers more. She described herself as a generalist who looks for issues others aren’t addressing.

“The job of a legislator is not rocket science, but it takes time, more time than most people have to learn about all the ins and outs. Budgets are complicated,” she said.

House Position 2

Republican Russell Barber is challenging Rep. Monica Jurado Stonier, a Democrat elected to the state House in 2012, then representing the 17th District. She’s served the 49th District since 2016. She currently serves as the House Majority Floor Leader.

“I am seeking another term in the Legislature to continue the work that I have started and have had the pleasure of working on,” Stonier said at Monday’s forum.

Stonier is an instructional coach for Evergreen Public Schools. Barber is a U.S. Air Force veteran and software engineer.

Barber said he has strong problem-solving skills, works under tight deadlines and values commitment to service.

“I’m here because I want to see some changes,” Barber said, citing his concern about housing affordability so people like his grown children can live nearby.

Both candidates highlighted a need to work across the aisle and engage with district residents to know what most is impacting them. They differ, however, on their support for upholding the Climate Commitment Act, which charges companies for their greenhouse-gas emissions. Stonier supports upholding the legislation, while Barber wants it repealed.

“While addressing the climate challenge is important, I think we also need to be more realistic,” Barber said, calling the legislation a financial burden for families.

“The science tells us that our agriculture, our transportation and the ability for people to survive forest fires, not just in the state but beyond, are at risk because of rising temperatures,” Stonier said. “I’m absolutely committed to making sure that the investments that we have from the Climate Commitment Act stay intact.”

The two candidates also diverged along party lines over education spending, although both support additional funding for child care and early childhood education, as well as finding alternative funding for infrastructure.