In Our View: Moeller, Crain in 49th

Ideally, elections present voters with diverse choices representing a broad spectrum of interests and opinions. With that in mind, The Columbian endorses Democrat Jim Moeller and Republican Carolyn Crain in the primary race for state representative from the 49th District, Position 2.

As always, endorsements reflect the opinions of The Columbian’s Editorial Board and are presented merely as suggestions. We have faith in the ability of voters to be informed and to weigh the issues based upon their personal preferences; endorsements are regarded as one more piece of information to be considered.

That said, Moeller, the incumbent, long has been a good fit with the progressive-leaning 49th District. He is seeking his seventh term in the Washington Legislature following two terms on the Vancouver City Council, and his experience and knowledge of the issues is readily apparent. While we often have taken issue with Moeller’s penchant for wanting to raise taxes to deal with problems in the state, the truth is that he is a well-reasoned solution seeker. He is not one given to sloganeering or ideological intransigence; instead, he works to come up with ideas that have a reasonable chance of being implemented. “I’m not done; that’s the long and short of it,” Moeller said of his work in the Legislature. Before its demise, Moeller supported the Columbia River Crossing project to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge, but he recognizes the need to move forward.

He also realistically acknowledges that next year’s Legislature likely will need to increase the state sales tax in order meet obligations — especially a roughly $3 billion bill to meet K-12 education funding as mandated by the state Supreme Court. “We are not going to be able to get there, with an additional $3 billion, without raising taxes,” he said. “The argument next year is going to be, is it 1 cent or 2 cents?” That might not be the type of pandering some voters long to hear, but it reflects Moeller’s pragmatism — a more valuable trait in a lawmaker than ideology. “Hopefully my colleagues, both Ds and Rs, will give us more than slogans like ‘fund education first.’ “

Crain has been a longtime activist who has spent thousands of hours attending public meetings and getting involved in public discussions. That has left her well-informed and strongly opinionated regarding the issues. She was an outspoken critic of the CRC and advocates for a third bridge in the region.

Crain offers a contrast with Moeller on several other issues, as well. While Moeller long has supported legislation removing the sales-tax exemption for Oregon shoppers in Clark County, Crain advocates for the exemption. And while Moeller has fought against a suggested requirement that two-thirds of voters be necessary to approve tax increases, Crain points out that most of the 49th District has voted in favor of the idea. But despite her usual anti-tax stance, Crain says, “We’ve lost our shield of protection from taxation” in dealing with the state’s obligations.

Lisa Ross, a Republican who aligns more closely with Crain than with Moeller, also is in the race. She says she would approach legislation by asking three questions: Should the Legislature be doing it? Can we pay for it? Can it work?

That reflects a reasonable approach, but Ross doesn’t have quite the depth of knowledge regarding the issues that the other candidates possess. Because of that, The Columbian believes Moeller and Crain are the best candidates to advance to the general election in the 49th District.

Coming Thursday: 49th Legislative District, Pos. 1