The Reporter
The general election Nov. 4 will decide the race for state representative (Position 1) in the 47th District between incumbent Geoff Simpson, a Democrat who has held the office since 2000, and Republican challenger Mark Hargrove.
The district includes Covington, Black Diamond and parts of Auburn, Kent and Renton.
In the primary election in August, Hargrove received the most votes – 10,666 (46.7 percent). Simpson finished with 8,999 votes (39.4 percent), while a third candidate, Democrat Leslie Kae Hamada, received 3,107 (13.6 percent). The district has approximately 68,000 registered voters.
To help inform voters about the candidates, Hargrove and Simpson responded to a questionnaire from the Reporter about their campaigns and issues.
Reporter: In terms of your background and what you would do in office, what are the major differences between you and your opponent?
Hargrove: I suggest that people Google Mark Hargrove and Geoff Simpson and come to their own conclusions, or consider these striking differences:
I have never been involved in the state government. My engineering degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and experience as a Boeing instructor pilot, having seen the various governments, healthcare and transportation systems around the world firsthand, make me well-prepared to bring a fresh perspective to Olympia to solve our state’s problems. In the eight years my opponent has been in Olympia, we have seen record spending and tax increases and degradation of our education and transportation systems.
I have been married to Sandy for 29 years and have a close-knit family with two married daughters and a granddaughter. I’m known as an easy-going guy who can work well with anybody. My most devoted campaigners include hard-core Republicans and Democrats who have never voted for a Republican in their life. My opponent’s story is very different.
Over 80 percent of my campaign contributions are from individuals, mostly in Auburn, Black Diamond, Covington, Kent and Renton. More than 90 percent of my opponent’s money is from groups outside of our district. I have thoroughly enjoyed personally doorbelling several thousand homes with Sandy and the rest of our all-volunteer campaign staff. My opponent spent about a quarter of a million dollars in each of his recent campaigns, much of it to the public relations firm Moxie Media and the other workers who distribute his literature.
Just as I am frugal with my own money and our campaign finances, I will be frugal in spending my neighbors’ money in the Legislature. I would vote to limit property taxes and would vote against additional gas taxes. In the last legislative session, my opponent submitted bills that would have cost us Washington taxpayers $35 billion over the next 10 years. As an indication that he doesn’t represent me and my neighbors, he joined a handful of Seattle representatives in a special legislative session as one of only two others in the entire state to vote against limiting our property tax rate increases to 1 percent a year. And he voted for every gas tax increase and promised to vote for any others that come along.
Simpson: For more than 18 years, I’ve served the people and working families here as a firefighter, city council member and state representative. I’ve gotten to know the people of this district and have learned what’s important to them. That’s why I have spent the last eight years in the Legislature fighting to keep our economy strong, create high-paying jobs, invest in our schools, expand healthcare coverage, protect patients’ rights, cut property taxes and crack down on sexual predators. I have a proven track record of results and look forward to continuing to tackle the important issues that face Washington and the 47th District next session.
My opponent lacks both the experience and judgment necessary to effectively represent our district in Olympia. He is a George Bush Republican who holds extreme social positions that are out of step with the district’s voters. He doesn’t seem to understand that people are struggling to make ends meet and balance their family budget. He recently proposed balancing the state budget by increasing the sales tax, property tax or both while also cutting funding for education and road improvements. His ideas clearly represent the worst of both worlds.
Reporter: During this campaign, what is the single biggest issue voters have wanted to discuss with you?
Hargrove: Business owners, chambers of commerce, mayors, city councilmen and my neighbors all express the need for traffic congestion relief. We need representation that is concerned with our problems, not Seattle’s. Numerous studies show that traffic congestion can be significantly reduced without raising taxes simply by reprioritizing how the money is spent. My opponent is proud of his “proven leadership” in the state House and on the transportation committee. I don’t think my neighbors are satisfied with the work of the House, and especially not with the transportation committee.
Simpson: Understandably, people are deeply concerned about the economy. Working families are struggling with the skyrocketing costs for food, gas and healthcare.
I have a solid record of working to protect and create Washington jobs and of making strategic investments that keep our economy humming. Nothing will completely protect Washington from the failed policies of Washington, D.C., but every indicator says we are doing better than the rest of the nation. I’ll continue my focus on the economic security of Washington’s citizens and fight to enact new policies that will help our economy recover quickly. As the only candidate in this race that has received support from both the business community and organized labor, I am best equipped to make the tough choices to get Washington’s economy on track.
Reporter: What can be done at the state and district levels to improve people’s confidence in their economic futures?
Hargrove: First, if people have been living within their means and don’t need to get their money out of their investments immediately, they shouldn’t panic. Things will improve. To improve their confidence, they need to know that the government is also operating within its means. The fact that both the state and county are facing huge deficits doesn’t inspire their confidence. Even if the government is trying to act in our best interests, we don’t trust that they are truly concerned about our priorities, and we have lost confidence. We need open, honest and transparent government that doesn’t act as if it knows better than us regular people how to solve our problems.
I want my neighbors who will elect me to have confidence that I am one of them, will listen to them and will represent them, not Seattle and not any other area of the state. When they have confidence that their voice is heard, I think they’ll in turn have more confidence in their economic future.
Simpson: People want to know that if they work hard and make good decisions, they can provide a decent life for their families. I have consistently fought to make this a reality for working families. Last session, I helped protect the best minimum wage in the country, establish paid family medical leave and create the community development fund to spur local economic development. I recognize that in times of economic turmoil, access to higher education becomes especially important. That’s why I’ve fought to keep the cost of higher education low and have invested in worker retraining and technical education.
I have worked to hold insurance companies that unfairly deny legitimate claims accountable, guarantee healthcare for every child in our state and helped enact one of the best Patient’s Bill of Rights in the nation.
I’ll continue working to rein in unscrupulous lenders and price-gouging oil companies next session and to enact real solutions to skyrocketing property taxes and access to affordable healthcare. It is common-sense policies like these that improve people’s confidence in their economic futures by giving them the opportunity to succeed.
Reporter: On a similar note, but more specific to businesses, how do you plan to help cultivate economic development in your district?
Hargrove: Our small and mid-size businesses create most of the jobs in our district and state. So we need public policies that enable small business and individuals to succeed economically by removing barriers. We need to see if the many layers of regulations now in place really protect public health and safety in a meaningful way, or if they’re unnecessary burdens on businesses. Excessive regulations make starting a business riskier than it needs to be, and limited capital is wasted on compliance.
Government taxation and spending must also be reined in, in order to not overly burden its citizens or businesses. And our transportation system must be sufficient to meet our needs. I’ll work with our local chambers of commerce and the various city councils to prioritize what the state government can do to help the economic development in their communities.
Simpson: The good news is Washington ranks number 3 in the nation according to Forbes Magazine’s annual “Best States for Business” report. But we still have work to do. Our tax system is unfair and needs to be reformed. Taxing businesses regardless of whether they make a profit is wrong. I have sponsored legislation to exempt new businesses from certain taxes and fees until they are up and running so it’s easier to start a business, and will continue to support targeted tax cuts, regulatory reform and permit streamlining to keep businesses producing jobs and revenue here in Washington.
We have made huge infrastructure investments that are creating jobs, stimulating the economy and making Washington a great place to live, work, raise a family and run a business. I was instrumental in securing $900,000 in state funding to complete Kent Station, which has become an economic engine and transportation hub for south King County. I championed desperately needed investments to make our roads safer and lessen congestion, and sponsored legislation requiring DOT (state Department of Transportation) to be more accountable and efficient. Next session, I’ll continue to advocate for smart investments that stimulate our local economy.
Reporter: If you aren’t elected, will you continue to play a role in public issues in some other way?
Hargrove: I’m confident that I will be elected by my neighbors who are demanding a representative who truly represents them. So many of them have expressed their gratitude for having a new choice to be their state representative. Almost all of the people who know me are going to vote for me. On the other hand, many of the people I have met who know my opponent have told me that they are going to vote against him. The people of the 47th District are good people, and I’m even more determined to do what I can to serve them. I’m now much more knowledgeable on how ordinary citizens can have an impact on their government. Whether or not I’m in office, I’ll make sure my friends and neighbors can get their concerns addressed.
Simpson: I’m running for re-election because the families in our community need public servants who are focused on what matters most – access to affordable healthcare, good jobs, a strong economy, excellent public schools and a transportation system that works. That said, as a full-time professional firefighter and as a father of three school-age children, I have a vested interest in building a strong and healthy community and working to protect our families. So, regardless of the outcome, I’ll continue to work toward making south King County an even better place to live and work.
