For the first time in the 11 years holding the position, Orcutt has the challenge of getting to know practically an entirely new district.
The Washington State Redistricting Commission approved a redistricting plan this year, adding portions of Lewis and Thurston counties to District 20.
“My district has changed so much; it’s about 75 percent new to me,” Orcutt said. “I’m trying to spend as much time in Lewis and Thurston County as I can.”
The consulting forester of Kalama said his No. 1 concern is unemployment.
“Everyone wants to talk about government budgets, but the biggest concern I have is the budget sitting on people’s kitchen table,” Orcutt said. “When we resolve the problems they are having with their budget on the kitchen table, we are not going to have problems with our budget that we do.”
Orcutt said he wants to work on regulations in government, especially for businesses, hoping to make it easier for employers that hire more workers.
“Employers said if they knew what was going to happen with regulations and taxation, they need to hire somebody back now,” Orcutt said. “Uncertainty is causing them to delay rehiring.”
Morgan says “no politician can create jobs.”
“Anyone that says they are about jobs are pandering for votes,” he said.
A transportation specialist out of Rochester, Morgan said he is running to give the district better representation.
“It’s time for us to return to the foundations of our country not just for ourselves, but the children and their children,” he said. “We need to get back on track to where it’s supposed to be to survive.”
Neither candidate supports raising taxes. Morgan said that if he’s elected, he will want to reduce or eliminate the state’s sales tax to help stop residents from shopping in Oregon.
He also wants to revisit and reduce regulations within government procedures.
Citing one of his successes, Orcutt said he protected exemptions for consumers, including exemptions of sales tax on food.
“Quite frankly, if we address the jobs issue, we don’t need to raise taxes,” he said.
Morgan says the state could do without any taxes at all, based on information from its 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
“This isn’t their money; it’s our money and they are hiding our money from us,” he said. “We don’t even need to be paying taxes; technically, the state owes you a check.”
The candidates have different approaches to tackling the issue of funding basic education as mandated by the Supreme Court in the McCleary decision.
Orcutt suggests a tax swap.
“Voters have approved at a district level a large amount in excess levies for schools,” he said. “If we took a portion of that money and put it under state property tax and reduced the amount the local school districts could levy … then the state would have more money to pay out to schools.”
Morgan says there is no reason education shouldn’t already be adequately funded.
“Someone is doing something with money they aren’t supposed to be doing,” he said. “According to (the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report), there is plenty of money in the state.”
Chelsea Krotzer: 360-754-5476
ckrotzer@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/thisjustin
@chelseakrotzer
