Moeller faces novice Bomar

Mike Bomar

Jim Moeller

Democratic Rep. Jim Moeller faces Mike Bomar, an independent with close ties to the building industry, in his campaign for a fourth term representing the 49th District.

Moeller, 53, drew 64 percent of the vote in the August primary to 35.5 percent for Bomar.

A former Vancouver city councilman and an unabashed liberal, Moeller has grown in influence during three terms in the House, sponsoring legislation to help veterans and vulnerable adults and to give people more control over decisions about end-of-life medical care. As a member of the health care committee, he has been a staunch advocate for more funding of the state’s public health agencies.

One of a handful of openly gay legislators in Olympia, Moeller has co-sponsored legislation requiring the state to recognize same-sex domestic partnerships and setting up a system for registering those partnerships with the secretary of state.

In the 2008 session, his colleagues elected Moeller deputy House speaker pro tempore, a leadership position that requires him to preside over floor sessions.

He suffered a political defeat this year when a state agency withdrew a social-services contract worth more than $3 million from the Human Services Council, a nonprofit whose board he chairs. The state showed that the group had failed to meet state standards for serving senior and disabled clients.

Moeller tried but failed to win legislation that might have saved the group’s contract. The state is now preparing to hand the contract to a newly formed group of county governments. He said he’s willing to accept the decision but still believes it was a misstep.

The biggest challenge facing lawmakers in 2009, Moeller said, will be balancing the state budget to erase a projected $3.2 billion deficit while still protecting the state’s most vulnerable residents.

“What I don’t want to see is what I saw in 2003,” when the state faced its last big deficit, he said. “We balanced the budget on the backs of state workers and shoved tax breaks out the door. I didn’t vote for that budget, and I won’t vote to throw people under the bus.”

Bomar, a 29-year-old newcomer to electoral politics, said he chose to run as an independent because neither major party fit his views. He said he would find it personally rewarding to serve the community. “It’s also important to bring balance and transparency to government,” he said.

He said he favors giving residents online access to the state budget and would work to increase government efficiency by implementing the recommendations contained in performance audits of state agencies.

An employee of the Building Industry of Clark County, he said he generally shares his employer’s positions on development issues. “The impact fee is regressive,” he said. “We need a fee that is transparent. And we need to incentivize urban growth.”

But he said he parts company with the National Association of Home Builders over its support for a congressional bailout of financial institutions that bought subprime mortgages.

“The false market needs to go through a recovery,” he said. “There are a lot of mortgages that should not have been granted. There need to be some consequences when businesses don’t behave. More regulation is needed.”

Bomar acknowledged that it’s a challenge to run without a party organization behind him. He said he has friends in both parties and has not yet decided whether he would caucus with Democrats or Republicans if elected to represent the Democratic-leaning 49th.

Kathie Durbin covers politics and the Legislature. Call her at 360-735-4523 or e-mail kathie.durbin@columbian.com.