Ross Hunter tours Sammamish
July 8, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
Ross Hunter emerged from his car in a north Sammamish neighborhood and lathered up his bare forearms with sunscreen. It’s easy to get sunburned while campaigning, he said.
Hunter, a candidate for the King County executive’s race, has a few anecdotes about door knocking.“I’ve only been bitten by dogs three times,” he said.
One time, a winemaker invited Hunter to try wines in his house. Another time, a resident showed him a collection of dollhouses.
Hunter has his campaigning rules, too.
“There are all sorts of things that you can’t do,” he said.
If you wear a suit, people think you’re proselytizing and sunglasses make you look like an alien, he said. Hunter does keep sunscreen on hand and he stocks his car with spare button-down shirts, in case he sweats through them during a hot summer day.
Hunter, a Medina resident, is serving his fourth term in the State House of Representatives as a Democrat. With Ron Sims resigning from the King County Executive’s Office to serve in the Obama administration, Hunter and a slew of others filed for candidacy to take Sims’ place.
His opponents include King County Councilmen Larry Phillips and Dow Constantine, former TV news anchor Susan Hutchison and State Senator Fred Jarrett.
In mid-June, Hunter visited Burien, Highline and Bothell, followed by Sammamish June 30. In July, he plans to visit North Bend, Covington and Algona, he said.
“The reality is, King County is more than just Seattle,” said Damiana Merryweather, Hunter’s campaign manager. Merryweather explained that Hunter is trying to visit all parts of the county; especially the east and south, areas that the Hunter campaign believes need better representation.
King County has never elected an executive from outside of Seattle. One was appointed, but none were voted in.
When Hunter knocked on the door of Ross and Robin Hoover, Sammamish residents, he explained who he was and asked for their vote. He said he was “a moderate, fiscal conservative guy.”
Ross Hoover, who was home for the day taking care of his one-week-old daughter Leah, said he didn’t identify with a political party and didn’t know if he would vote for Hunter.
“To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it yet,” he said.
When Hunter appeared at Sue Hawkinson’s doorstep, she had but one request:
“Save us money,” she said.
The plea sparked Hunter to talk about the state’s recent audit of the King County budget. He said the county’s finances were mismanaged and needed to be retooled. He said his time as chair of the Finance Committee for the State House of Representatives gives him the know-how to fix things. Hunter also touted his management experience during a 17-year career with Microsoft.
As for what he would fix, Hunter said that salary increases within the county were too high, King County Metro Transit was too expensive and the county should be building a new jail for cities in south King County – not making those cities build their own jail.
Would Hunter be running if Sims were running again for the executive position?
“Probably not. I don’t have a death wish,” he said.
But Sims isn’t running and Hunter said he felt he understood some basic political problems facing the county. Last year, the county asked for his help in providing the county with more revenue authority.
But Hunter said there isn’t the political will to empower the county government with other taxing options because outsiders say King County practices wasteful spending.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.
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Personally, I would prefer Ross Hunter over the other two Democrats, who are Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips. If I am not mistaken they are currently members of the King County Council and that makes them part of the huge budget problem that needs fixing. I am interested to see if Ross Hunter will “save us money.”