[0:00] Thank you for tuning in to this 2022 primary election candidate forum for legislative District

[0:22] 22, Position 2. This forum is presented by the League of Women Voters of Thurston County

[0:28] in collaboration with Thurston Community Media. The League of Women Voters is proud to be nonpartisan,

[0:35] neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government,

[0:40] but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public to defend our democracy

[0:46] and empower voters. I am Donna Cobb of the League, and I will be moderating this forum.

[0:53] The candidates are Jessica Bateman and Kate Plager. Kevin Young is also a candidate for

[0:59] this position, but he did not respond to our invitation despite multiple requests. For this

[1:04] forum, each candidate will have the opportunity to answer a series of questions, and the questions

[1:10] will be alternated so that each has the chance to start first. Candidates, please

[1:16] let me know if you want me to repeat the question. Each candidate will have one minute

[1:20] to respond. The timer will show you a sign when you have 30 seconds left, and then show

[1:27] you a stop sign when your time is up. If you don't notice the sign, I'll tell you when

[1:32] your time is up. You will also have the opportunity to make a one-minute closing statement.

[1:38] For the first question, I will begin with Jessica Bateman. What makes you the most

[1:43] qualified candidate for this position? Thank you for that question. It's been

[1:48] an honor to serve as State Representative for the last year and a half. Prior to serving

[1:54] in the legislature, I served on the Olympia City Council from 2016 to 2020, both as a

[2:01] City Council Member and as Deputy Mayor. During that time, I focused my work on increasing

[2:08] our housing resources. The city worked very diligently to create unhoused resources

[2:14] including a mitigation site. I led the campaign to pass a home fund, which is the first municipally

[2:19] funded permanent supportive housing in South Puget Sound. We've since seen a real change

[2:26] in how we address homelessness in the community. There's a lot more work to do, but it was

[2:31] really important to get that started at the municipal level. One of the reasons

[2:34] why I ran for the State Legislature in 2020 was because I wanted to take my experience

[2:39] and expertise in housing and homelessness and work upstream on the actual solutions at

[2:44] the state level because I had that experience working at the local level. I also served as

[2:49] an Olympia Planning Commissioner before that. Thank you. Thank you.

[2:53] Kate Plager. Can you repeat the question? Of course. Sorry. What makes you the most

[3:01] qualified candidate for this position? Well, I feel like I've waited my whole life

[3:06] to apply for a job like this. I'm retired and I have a background in clinical psychology,

[3:14] social work from the University of Washington. I ran programs, I directed programs, I managed

[3:22] programs in the nonprofit and profit sector during my career. I managed staff. I was

[3:29] the manager of the behavior education department on a national level where I hired, supervised

[3:34] and developed staff. I worked for performance-based contracts, which means you don't get paid unless

[3:40] you do the job. I've had hands-on experience with all kinds of populations, including, of

[3:46] course, marginalized populations. I wrote grants and managed grants. I have had my

[3:55] pulse on the people for quite a while now in my retirement and I'm concerned about

[4:00] my community. I started an organization last year called Council for Wise Leadership.

[4:06] I wanted to bring together the community and have us discuss what's going on in our communities,

[4:12] in our law enforcement, in our rising crime. Is it time? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Thanks.

[4:18] Okay. For the second question, I will begin with you, Kate Plager. What do you think

[4:23] is the most important issue in your district that the state should address? Building

[4:28] a strong economy? I think that what I've been hearing from people as I go out in Doorbell

[4:34] and been meeting people for a long time, people are concerned about being able to afford

[4:40] filling up their gas tank. They're concerned about public safety as well, with the rising

[4:47] car thefts. Car thefts have increased 88 percent. Across the state of Washington,

[4:54] there have been 12,596 cars stolen since the new laws took effect. People who are marginalized,

[5:04] people who are senior citizens have had their cars stolen. They cannot replace them because

[5:09] there's no more insurance left on it, so they're stuck. They have no way to get another

[5:13] car. Their catalytic converters get stolen. They cannot afford to buy them. I'm concerned

[5:18] about working people who are working very hard to feed their families and the criminals

[5:24] seem to know what they can get away with, and so crime has increased not just in auto

[5:28] thefts but everywhere else. Thank you. Jessica Bateman, what do you think

[5:34] is the most important issue in your district that the state should address? The number

[5:39] one issue that I feel my constituents communicating to me about is our lack of affordable housing.

[5:45] In Washington state, we are behind by a quarter of a million homes. We simply are

[5:51] not creating enough homes to keep up with our population and our job growth. We have

[5:55] people that are moving here, people that are growing up here, needing places to live,

[6:00] and we've been unable to build the housing that we need for those people. In Washington,

[6:06] the way that we allow for new housing to be created is all designed and operated

[6:11] at the local level. City councils make those decisions. I think that we should

[6:15] be addressing it at the state level by allowing diverse housing options like

[6:20] mother-in-law apartments so you can age in place so seniors can have an ADU on their

[6:24] property and maybe rent that out as supplemental income as they age. Duplexes,

[6:28] triplexes, these types of housing are more affordable than typical craftsmen, single

[6:34] family homes. I'm hearing from seniors on fixed incomes because of the shortage

[6:38] of housing and the increased rent costs that they're struggling to get by. Thank

[6:43] you. Okay, and for the third question, I'll begin with you, Jessica Bateman.

[6:49] Does the state require local jurisdictions to address climate change in their

[6:53] Growth Management Act comprehensive plan updates? Climate change is going to impact

[7:00] communities across Washington state. We see the evidence of climate change

[7:04] already occurring with increased incidences of storms, wildfires in other

[7:10] states, hurricanes, tornadoes. So it makes sense for us to ensure that our

[7:14] local governments are planning for how they're going to reduce their greenhouse

[7:18] gas emissions, how they're going to accommodate new housing and new

[7:22] businesses in their communities, while also working to achieve reductions of

[7:26] their carbon emissions. We had a bill, this legislative session, House Bill 1099

[7:31] sponsored by Davina Dewar. I co-sponsored that bill. Unfortunately, we were not

[7:35] able to get it through, but we will be bringing that back next year so that

[7:38] we will require cities to update their comprehensive plans with climate

[7:42] change. Thank you. Kate Plager, should the state require local jurisdictions to

[7:50] address climate change in their Growth Management Act comprehensive plan

[7:54] updates? This is a very important issue in terms of understanding what

[8:06] contributes to pollution in our world today. I'm very concerned that we

[8:13] already have systems in place. We have hydropower. As long as I'm not sure

[8:21] about the local jurisdiction, I'm not that experienced, but I will say that

[8:28] I would want to be included in understanding how hydropower is already

[8:35] utilized in our state. I'm talking about the Four Snake River dams. They provide

[8:40] jobs, they provide food, they provide water, irrigation, and also flood control.

[8:46] There's also the Waste to Energy facility in Spokane, Washington that's

[8:52] been there for many years. They provide electricity to over 13,000 homes. So I

[8:57] have a different view on climate change and that's... Thank you. And now the fourth

[9:05] question goes to Kate Plager. How important is it to you that the state

[9:12] maintain a rainy day fund in its budget? Not being really familiar with all the

[9:20] budget, all the money left in the budget. I was told in my research that

[9:26] there's money that hasn't been spent on programs that should have been

[9:30] spent on. It's accountability, a rainy day budget. I would hope that the

[9:39] money would go for understanding how to support our already existing

[9:52] systems for energy. I think that's what I would save money for. Thank you. Okay.

[9:59] And Jessica Bateman? Having been a legislative assistant through our last

[10:04] recession and seeing the impact of that recession on budget cuts and the

[10:09] extreme measures that were taken to reduce state expenditures as a result

[10:14] of those budget cuts, it has not lost on me how important that it is to

[10:18] have an adequate rainy day fund. When I ran in 2020, we thought with the results

[10:23] of COVID, we didn't know what the budget was going to look like. And the Office

[10:26] of Financial Management asks state agencies to provide estimates of 15%

[10:30] cuts across the board. And if you look at what those draft cuts were, they

[10:35] were programs for the most vulnerable individuals in our communities,

[10:39] individuals with developmental disabilities, low income moms. This

[10:43] is not the time for us to, especially now, thinking about a

[10:46] potential recession, to not have an adequate, robust rainy day fund. Thank you.

[10:52] Okay. And the fifth question goes to Jessica Bateman. What is your opinion

[10:57] on how the governor used his emergency powers during the pandemic? You know, I

[11:02] think it's an unprecedented public health emergency that we have not had a

[11:06] lot of experience in. However, going forward, I think that we need to be

[11:12] thinking about how we would handle a situation like this in the future.

[11:15] I think that he did the best that he could do considering the circumstances.

[11:19] And when we're in a crisis, we need to ensure that we're able to make

[11:22] decisions quickly, effectively, and at the state level that comes from the

[11:28] governor's office. We're doing things like planning for the future,

[11:31] especially for our long-term care facilities who are dramatically

[11:34] impacted by what happened during COVID, to ensure that when we move

[11:39] forward, when we have other public health emergencies, we have plans

[11:43] and operations for how they're actually going to provide their services

[11:46] and ensure that residents have those the rights that they're entitled to.

[11:51] And I think similarly with the emergency powers, we should look into

[11:54] how we can ensure in the future that we can have a clear, consistent

[11:57] path for the utilization of those powers. Thank you. And Kate Plager,

[12:03] what is your opinion on how the governor used his emergency powers

[12:06] during the pandemic? I think in the beginning, it was appropriate.

[12:11] No one knew what was really happening with the outbreak and the pandemic.

[12:17] However, after a while, I felt that it was shut.

[12:21] He shut, he kept the state shut down. He stopped businesses.

[12:28] I didn't feel, and I've been hearing this, not just myself,

[12:31] but a number of people that I have spoken to, they want those powers

[12:36] to stop. And what I'm hearing is that they want a 30-day limit put

[12:39] on the governor's emergency powers.

[12:44] Thank you. And Kate Plager, here is the third and final question.

[12:49] In light of current events, do you believe that there are any threats

[12:53] to our system of democracy? And if so, what are those threats?

[12:59] Can you repeat that, please? Sure.

[13:02] In light of current events, do you believe there are any threats

[13:06] to our democracy? And if so, what are those threats?

[13:30] Well, I have so many concerns about it. I don't even know where to begin.

[13:34] The threats could be that we lose our rights,

[13:44] that we...

[13:52] Well, even the Roe vs. Wade decision, there are people who are upset

[13:58] about that and concerned. There was some concern across the nation

[14:04] about rioting and things like that. So I would say that losing our

[14:13] democracy, I mean, everyone should have a point of view.

[14:16] And we shouldn't hate each other because we have different points of

[14:19] view. I think that's one way to not lose our democracy, not to be extreme.

[14:26] Thank you. And Jessica Bateman, would you like me to repeat the question?

[14:32] No, I have a lot of concerns about our democracy, both in terms of the

[14:39] massive proliferation of lies, including the big lie that our

[14:43] presidential election was not valid, which is completely untrue and

[14:47] fabricated. The effort in the attempt to decertify the

[14:52] duly elected president of the United States, the attack on our nation's

[14:55] capital, armed intimidation of voters at voting booths.

[15:00] Secretaries of state being pressured across the country to change the results of the election,

[15:06] public servants being threatened, being found at their homes being threatened. I think that

[15:12] all of this and the environment that we're in can create questions about the legitimacy

[15:19] of our state institutions, our government institutions, and it's essential that people

[15:23] have confidence in those systems. And we have that proliferation of these lies and conspiracy

[15:28] theories, it does chip away at that belief in that system. And most recently with legitimacy

[15:33] of the Supreme Court who just took away the right of women in the United States and people

[15:37] who can become pregnant to make their own decisions about their bodily autonomy. I have a lot

[15:42] of concerns. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so you now each have one minute for a closing

[15:47] statement beginning with Jessica Bateman. Thank you. During my first term, we've worked

[15:53] together to solve our greatest challenges, fair and sustainable tax reform, equitable

[15:57] health care for all, protecting our environment and addressing our housing crisis. It is an

[16:02] honor to serve as your state representative and I ask for your support so I can continue

[16:06] this work helping working families, our most vulnerable and our seniors to ensure that

[16:11] we all have the opportunity to thrive. If you'd like to learn more about me or my

[16:15] campaign, please visit votejessicabateman.com. Thank you. Kate Plager, you have one

[16:22] minute for a closing statement. I'm not a politician. I never thought I'd be running

[16:28] for public office, but I have to say that I have been pulled into this race because

[16:33] a number of my friends have asked me to run. They knew I went into retirement. They know

[16:39] that I can do the job. They asked me to stand up to the plate. I'm concerned about

[16:45] our public safety. I'm concerned about our law enforcement having been crippled

[16:49] the past couple of years. I disagree that they should be defunded. I will wholeheartedly

[16:55] support first responders, law enforcement and also in building a strong economy. I have

[17:04] numerous people talk to me about inflation and that they can't afford to fill their

[17:08] gas tank. One person said it cost $170 to fill his gas tank and last year it was

[17:13] half of that. As a representative, I will pull the people to find out what it is that

[17:25] they want because as a representative I need to understand and I would hold community

[17:30] forums on a regular basis to pull and try to understand what they want.

[17:36] Thank you. Thank you, Jessica Bateman and Kate Plager for participating in this forum.

[17:43] We thank TC Media for producing it. Ballots will be mailed July 13th and must be mailed

[17:48] or placed in a ballot box by 8 p.m. on August 2nd. You can register to vote online through

[17:55] July 25th at vote.wa.gov and in person until 8 p.m. on August 2nd at the Thurston County

[18:04] Auditors Office. We encourage viewers to be a voter in the primary election. Thank

[18:13] you.

LWV Primary Forum 2022: Dist 22, Pos. 2

Transcript