One opinion on Brad Owen
I write to urge you to vote for Brad Owen for Lieutenant Governor. Brad is the only Democrat in this race. He has done a good job presiding over the Senate for many years and, whenever Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown has needed his help in breaking a tie in our favor, he has been there to help.
Bill Finkbeiner used to represent me in the 45th District. I know Bill Finkbeiner... as do many other Democrats in the 45th. Bill originally ran for office in the 1990s as a Democrat, but in 1994 he defected to the other side and became a Republican. Finkbeiner subsequently attained the position of Senate Majority Leader for the Republicans prior to leaving office at the end of 2006. Finkbeiner is no progressive. While he was in the Senate, he stood in the way of good legislation and was all too often a barrier to progress.
I do not trust Bill Finkbeiner, and neither should you.
One of Brad Owen's staff recently put together a document which debunks some of the commonly held myths about Brad Owen and his positions on crucial issues. This staff member did this on his own time and without being asked to by the Lt. Governor. I am sharing this document with you so you can cast an informed vote. I urge you to read the following and vote for Brad Owen if you have not voted already.
Fact: There is no band. Lt.Governor Owen and his wife Linda established a non-profit, Strategies for Youth, in 1989. Under Strategies for Youth, Lt. Governor Owen traveled to elementary and middle schools throughout the state and delivered a one-hour interactive presentation in a quiz show format that featured the lieutenant governor singing and playing classic rock and roll tunes on guitar while delivering messages aimed at teaching kids to respect each others’ differences and to understand the value of getting involved in positive activities outside of school. Early presentations focused mainly on the prevention of substance abuse among youth. On March 15, 2011 Strategies for Youth and Lt. Governor Owen closed out a 22 year run with one final show at Lister Elementary School in Tacoma, which Lt. Governor Owen attended as a youth.
Myth: Brad Owen is anti-choice.
Fact: Fuse Washington and other progressive organizations are basing this claim on then-Senator Owen's secondary sponsorship of parental notification legislation 27 years ago. In fact, here's a recent video from TVW (scroll forward to 49:38 and you'll see that Lt. Governor Owen states he is pro-choice): http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012090071
While he may not have earned the endorsements of NARAL or Planned Parenthood, Brad Owen is not anti-choice, so there is no difference in policy positions between him and Bill Finkbeiner on the issue. If you are a reasonable person, then you understand that a person's views can evolve and change over 27 years. If you're not reasonable then you've already stopped reading.
Myth: Brad Owen supports Tim Eyman's initiatives and believes a 2/3 supermajority should be necessary to raise taxes.
Fact: Nothing could be further from the truth. Lt. Governor Owen has no use for Tim Eyman. The Brown v. Owen case that went to the state Supreme Court was the result of a parliamentary ruling on the Senate floor. As President of the Senate, Lt. Governor Owen is frequently called on by the members to rule on matters of parliamentary procedure. In this case, a member(Senator Tim Sheldon) inquired as to whether the bill in question (SB 6931) would require a 2/3 majority under I-960, and made remarks in favor of that position. Senator Brown argued that the bill should pass with a simple majority. Lt. Governor Owen ruled that under the laws of the state of Washington (I-960) that the bill would require a 2/3 vote.
Note that while Lt. Governor Owen personally agreed with Senator Brown's position, as President of the Senate he believes his role to be that of an independent arbiter, and when making his rulings he relies on the Washington State Constitution, the laws of Washington state (RCW and WAC including initiatives that have passed into law), the rules of the Washington State Senate and Reed's Rules, among others, to guide his decisions. Lt. Governor Owen agreed with Senator Brown that I-960 needed to be tested in court, though he was sworn to uphold the laws of Washington state. Although the Lt. Governor appeared to fall on the side of Tim Eyman, based on his ruling, in reality the ruling facilitated an opportunity to get the Court to rule on the constitutionality of I-960. Take this quote from the Court's ruling:
"The Constitution is the preeminent law of our state, and all other laws and rules applicable to this body are unquestionably subordinate to the Constitution. Nonetheless, the President has taken an oath to uphold all the laws of the state and nation, including both Constitutional and statutory law. Whatever the merits of Senator Brown's legal argument — and the President is inclined to agree with her arguments — it is not for him to decide legal matters. Under our Constitutional framework of separation of powers, the authority for determining a legal conflict between the Constitution and a statute is clearly vested with the courts."
Lt. Governor Owen does not support I-1185, nor did he support I-1053 which have followed other similar initiatives by Tim Eyman.
Myth: Brad Owen must be a raging conservative because Pastor Joe Fuiten and Faith & Freedom PAC endorsed him.
Fact: Lt. Governor Owen doesn't know Pastor Fuiten, nor did he seek the endorsement. He has no idea why he was endorsed. Lt. Governor Owen is not an evangelical Christian.
Andrew Villeneuve
Second Vice Chair, King County Democrats
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