Candidates discuss current issues at forum

The two incumbents for County Commissioner said they wouldn't reveal how they felt about expanding the city's Urban Growth Area to open the way for what could become the largest bottling plant in the country, but both challengers said the support the UGA expansion request.

Candidate Nick Petrish of Anacortes, opposing incumbent Ron Wesen, said he favors the UGA expansion. But, when it comes to selling water, he said he'd "like to see the city make an agreement with a local cooperative to sell the water in that manner rather than having someone from outside the county, from outside Anacortes, come in and buy our water and profit by it."

Ron Wesen didn't state his position on the UGA expansion request, but he said it's up to the citizens of Anacortes to decide what to do with the water, a position echoed by fellow Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt, who pointed out that the County Commission acts as a quasi-judicial body on issues like the UGA expansion and can't discuss the matter before it comes to them. He did say Anacortes has rights to the water we have and it's up to the city to decide what to with it.

Challenger April Axthelm said she doesn't have any problem with the city's UGA expansion, but she said she's concerned about some property owners in the Fisher-Carpenter Basin who don't have the ability to build homes because they can't drill wells.

Wednesday night's candidates forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women and the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce.

All 6 candidates for the state House of Representatives support spending more money for education in Washington.

Candidate Dave Hayes, running for the state House in District 10, position 2, which includes south Fidalgo island, urged making education a high priority. Tom Riggs, running for the same seat being vacated by Representative Barbara Bailey, said, "Putting less money in higher education has required higher education institution to raise their fees 50 percent in the last 4 years, which is not, in the long-term, affordable for out students."

Incumbent state Representative Jeff Morris, in the 40th District, position 1, which includes Anacortes, said choices made by the legislature "made your heart burn a lot in social services, the higher ed cuts were the ones that made your head hurt the most." He said higher education needs to be a priority when the legislature starts restoring funding.