Letter writers explain their endorsements of Brown for AG and Upthegrove for DNR chief

Nick Brown is the most qualified candidate for Attorney General

Please vote in the Aug. 6 primary for Nick Brown for Attorney General of Washington state.

As a retired attorney who has worked for 40 years under five attorneys general in two states, I am aware of how critical this office is to all Washingtonians. The Attorney General is the chief legal officer for the state and is instrumental in protecting our rights, working with law enforcement to ensure public safety, and managing a staff of more than 1,800 employees, including almost 800 attorneys.

Nick’s considerable breadth of experience as an Army lawyer (he is endorsed by VoteVets!), general counsel to the Governor, and U.S. Attorney for Western Washington has prepared him to meet this challenge and sets him apart from the other candidates.

Moreover, Nick was raised in Washington state and understands the issues unique to our state. Check Nick’s website for more information.

Sarah Coats, Olympia

Nick Brown will do the job

I was an attorney in state government for over 37 years. Because of my experience, I am closely watching the campaign for Washington state Attorney General. There is no question in my mind that Nick Brown is by far the best candidate.

In addition to his experience as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG Corps), and as the U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, where he was the administrator of that prestigious office, he also served as legal adviser to Gov. Inslee. This broad experience provides the best possible background for leading an Attorney General’s Office that has over 800 attorneys and provides trial representation and legal advice to over 190 agencies that cover a broad range of subject matter.

Nick Brown provides the kind of mature experience these agencies need. He is an excellent administrator — an important qualification he brings to the job. He understands the needs of the citizens of Washington and will well represent them as Attorney General.

Anne Hall, Olympia

Elect Upthegrove for Commissioner of Public Lands

The Washington state Department of Natural Resources needs a strong leader who works with but is not bought by the timber industry.

Dave Upthegrove is the ONLY candidate in the race who is not taking money from the timber industry, their corporate executives and lobbyists. He is the ONLY candidate who is seriously addressing the need to protect Washington’s 77,000 acres of legacy forests. Dave has the sole endorsement of the Sierra Club and Washington Conservation Action. He is the ONLY candidate backed by the environmental community.

I spent several years attending Board of Natural Resources meetings when they were developing plans for managing the state lands for endangered species, including the Marbled Murrelet. Despite the precipitous decline of the murrelet population, the plan the board adopted in 2019 revealed a “business as usual” with no meaningful protections for the Marbled Murrelet and no meaningful assurances of jobs and revenue for the timber industry or trust beneficiaries. No one was happy with the decision. Dave Upthegrove would not have let this happen.

Dave has creative, progressive, workable plans for shifting the business-as-usual approach. He is a well-spoken, well-informed, thoughtful candidate with a solid grip on the role and responsibilities of the Commissioner of Public Lands. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he’d already taken office. Dave is looking out for the trees, the wildlife, the timber-dependent counties, and all the people of Washington State — not just the narrowly defined trust beneficiaries.

Please vote for Dave so our “working forests” work optimally for all Washingtonians.

Maria Ruth, Olympia