Fraser, Lee argue over public forums

Challenger seeks additional exposure in District 22 race

By Brad Shannon | The Olympian • Published September 25, 2008

Sen. Karen Fraser and her election challenger, Erik Lee, are at odds over whether they debate enough publicly in their 22nd District race.

A forum that might have pitted the two Democrats won't happen at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs, despite Lee's efforts to have one. The same goes for a discussion at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

"I think she (Fraser) is trying to limit my exposure …" Lee said this week, frustrated he can't get more attention to unseat the four-term incumbent. He said a UW dean suggested the event Aug. 6, and Fraser was slow to reply.

Fraser said the UW event was never firm, and Evans School spokeswoman Molly McCarthy confirmed it was more of "an idea floating in the ether" than a clear proposal.

Fraser said she's happy to appear in any local forums and that she could not afford the six hours she thinks she would need to travel round-trip to Seattle and participate in a debate.

Backgrounds

Fraser is running on her 30 years of public service experience in local, county and state government. Fraser has helped provide money for many local projects as vice chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. She earns strong ratings from environmentalists but low marks from business.

Lee lives in Olympia and works for a Seattle-based physician-assistant training program, MEDEX Northwest. He is running on a pro-business platform, saying he's an advocate for small enterprises. He also wants to improve access to care by greater use of physician assistants.

Fraser won the top-two primary against Lee with three-fourths of the vote and also has raised nearly $95,000, including donations from political committees and interest groups. Lee has raised about $2,000, all of it from outside of the district.

The two candidates appeared recently at the First Christian Church. They also appeared at a Panorama event last week.

The two candidates have agreed on many positions. Both said they dislike the Legislature's practice to give pay raises July 1 to employees represented by union negotiators, while delaying raises to nonrepresented groups until Sept. 1.

Both wanted to see more buses in the Puget Sound region. They also wanted to see K-12 education supported; both disliked the WASL for high school graduation; and they both want to see options for students to learn about real-world trades and get jobs in apprenticeships, something majority Democrats have expanded.

Fraser said she thinks budget cuts are the big issue for the 2009 legislature, and she thinks higher education could face some trouble.

Brad Shannon is political editor for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-753-1688 or bshannon@theolympian.com.