PORT ANGELES — Two candidates for 24th Legislative District State Senator discussed their positions on inflation, building codes, street layouts, public defender workloads and school bonds at a Tuesday morning forum.
Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, and Marcia Kelbon, R-Quilcene, addressed the Port Angeles Business Association at Joshua’s Restaurant.
The third candidate, James Russell, D-Port Angeles, did not attend.
Chapman has experience as a Clallam County commissioner, a law enforcement officer and his current position of State Representative.
“As your state representative, I’ve heard and know there’s a number of issues we all face,” Chapman said.
Over the eight years he’s been a representative, Chapman said he has helped secure $150 million to remove Peninsula fish barriers and $32 million to replace the Elwha bridge.
“We have a bridge that’s gonna last for the next 100 years plus, and I’m very proud of that,” Chapman said.
He said he also passed business and occuapation tax cuts and served for four years as the chair of the Natural Resource Committee.
If he is elected senator, Chapman said he would focus on education, affordable housing, childcare, healthcare, improving the local economy and establishing family wage jobs,
Kelbon has experience working for the Navy, practicing patent law, joining a business startup, serving as a fire commissioner and unsuccessfully running for Jefferson County Commissioner.
When she was asked to run for Senate, she said she “wasn’t enthused. It’s a lot of work.”
However, Kelbon said she decided to run because she’s concerned with “the obstances in the way of the younger generations living here.”
If elected, Kelbon would focus on a living wage, sustainable housing, homelessness and schools.
Kelbon said she would also combat policies designed for an urban environment such as electric vehicle legislation, per mile transportation charges, building codes and urban infrastructure changes.
“That would kill us here on the Peninsula, so we need to withstand that stuff,” Kelbon said
During the breakfast, candidates differed on inflation, building codes, public defender workloads and street design.
Chapman said Washington state’s inflation has largely impacted rent increases and he would focus on rent stabilization.
Kelbon said inflation’s main cause is the Climate Commitment Act, which drives up the cost of gas.
“If I cross a border to Oregon or Idaho, it goes down about $1,” she said. “It ripples through everything we do.”
As senator, she said her goal would be to repeal or amend the act so that “it cannot hurt us as much as it has done.”
Speaking to a question about the Washington State Building Energy Code Council, Kelbon said building codes are “implemented too strenuously.”
These codes add around $30,000 to the cost of building, according to Kelbon.
Chapman, who served on the council as a non-voting member, said, “I don’t think the building codes add $30,000 to a house, but it could be.”
Candidates were asked about the Washington State Supreme Court’s proposed cut in public defender workloads. Clallam County Commissioner Randy Johnson said the cut would increase Clallam County’s costs by $6 to $8 million.
Kelbon supported some partial workload cuts, if they were funded at a state level.
“We can’t handle it locally here,” Kelbon said.
Chapman said he wouldn’t support millions of dollars of cost increase that local governments can’t afford.
Candidates also differed on their approach to street design.
Chapman said he’s been working on street and road improvements, but has heard a lot of pushback.
“I’m beginning to wonder what this community wants,” Chapman said. “Do they not want investments in their future infrastructure?”
Both candidates agreed that school bonds are necessary and should not require a supermajority vote to pass.
Chapman said many local schools haven’t been able to fund construction because they’re getting around 58 percent or 59 percent of the vote, rather than the 60 percent they need.
Kelbon said she was “always going to go to bat for kids.”
“Fund schools first and then your other infrastructure,” Kelbon said. “We have to do this or we are failing the kids.”
During closing comments, Kelbon said voting comes down to the question, “Do you think that we’re going in the right direction?”
“I don’t think we’re going in the right direction myself,” Kelbon said. “I see us becoming a wealthy person’s playground.”
Chapman said he has done a good job as a representative.
“But if you definitely think that I’ve not done a good job for this district, for God’s sake, don’t vote for me,” he said.
“If people want to go a different direction, that’s great,” Chapman said. “But you’ll give up a seat at the table with people who are fighting for these issues.”
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
