Politics The Race for the 43rd: Lynne Dodson
Today is the last day of our week-long look at candidates who want to be the next state representative from Seattle’s 43rd District. So far we’ve heard from Dick Kelley, Bill Sherman, Jim Street, and Stephanie Pure. Today we hear from Lynne Dodson.
(There is also a sixth candidate, Jamie Pedersen, whom I wrote about in The Stranger two weeks ago.)
It’s been made clear, over the last four days, that the Slog has some pretty serious policy geeks among its readership. Which is great. You guys have done a fantastic job of peppering (and in some cases pestering) the candidates with your (mostly) sharp questions. In a race where the major difficulty for voters is going to be differentiating among six good liberals, you’ve helped highlight some interesting differences among the contenders.
I’ll be doing a post on Monday to see who you liked best, but for now, one more to go… Y’all know the drill:
Got something you want to ask Dodson? Post it in the comments. She’ll check in periodically throughout the day to answer questions. (Don’t understand what any of this is about? Click here.)
Lynne Dodson
Money Raised: $30,446
All of the candidates in this race talk about public education. I am the only candidate who has worked in and for public education my entire career. I’m not running because I’ve always wanted to be a politician. I’m a teacher and an activist who is tired of seeing our state’s future shortchanged.My website (www.LynneToWin.org) has detailed positions on a broad range of issues, so I will briefly outline my background and priorities here.
I’m a graduate of the University of Washington (Ph.D., Social Welfare), a teacher at Seattle Central, the mother of two Seattle public school graduates, president of the faculty union for the Seattle community colleges and an education activist. I know the issues facing our schools.
Pre-K, K-12, community colleges, and the four-year college system compete for scarce funding. Washington State is 42nd in the nation in per-student funding and 46th in class size. We face threats like attacks on the education trust fund, charter schools and rapidly increasing tuition costs.
We need to prioritize public education and fund it, not just talk about its importance while diverting funds and shifting costs onto families and students.
We need more teachers — people who confront the consequences of inadequate funding — in the legislature to be directly involved in policy and decision making to create a seamless pre-K through higher education system, and to address the unstable and unfair tax system that prevents our state from adequately funding education.
I’ve been effective in working for change as an elected union leader and a legislative and community activist. I’ve helped build coalitions among labor and education constituents to fight for educational initiatives at all levels. I’ve worked to keep tuition low and eliminate I-200 restrictions to increase access and opportunity in our four-year colleges.
My roots and my passion have been in fighting for social justice: developing programs to reduce institutional racism in job training programs, policy work on welfare and teen parent programs, educating about the effects of trade policies. I’ve walked the picket line for workers’ rights and helped organize two of the largest anti-war rallies in our state’s history. I’m effective because I know when to hit the pen and paper and when to hit the streets.
I brought hundreds of faculty and students to Olympia to lobby for education, tax reform, health care, unemployment, civil rights, and worker safety. I’ve testified at committee hearings and drafted proposed legislation. I’ve built coalitions to ensure social services, labor issues and education are not being pitted against one another for scarce resources (while funds for corporate welfare seem inexhaustible).
We need to approach our state’s opportunities and challenges in new ways. We must get away from our “can’t do” timidity and fight for our principles and values. I’m an agent for change. I’ve learned we can create the world — and the state — we want. We need to have the vision to see it, and the leadership, creativity and energy to work for it. I do and I will.
The word on the street on your past Green Party affiliations is troubling. Do you have the respect of the active and loyal Democrats in the day-to-day trenches of party organizing?
Please explain your choices in the 2000 and 2004 election cycles and where and how you threw your support.
Thank you.