The 10th District spans northern Puget Sound, from the southwest border between Arlington and Marysville west of I-5, then north and northwest to include Whidbey Island.

The 10th District representative incumbent Barbara Bailey, R., of Whidbey Island, is being challenged by two well-prepared candidates: Ann McDonald, also of Whidbey Island, and Patricia Terry, of Stanwood. Both opponents are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

While the incumbent Bailey, currently in her second term, has served Island and Skagit counties well in her years of service, she is not a familiar face in north Snohomish County. She is, however, knowledgeable about the issues.

Bailey’s number one priority is healthcare, and her strategy of bringing more insurance companies into the state for competition is being challenged by candidate Patricia Terry, a registered nurse who knows a lot about the health care industry and promotes eliminating the insurance bureaucracy to save 20 – 30 percent.

Bailey believes the real problem is the cost of health care itself rather than the cash that goes to the insurance industry.

Terry, after a career in health care with more than 12 years working on a department of defense contract, , returned to school at the Seattle Pacific University’s Institute of Public Service because she decided she had some things to offer in public service. The was 49 at the time.

While her strength is clearly health care, her desire to make good ideas into a good program could help solve more than just our health care crisis, benefitting all residents of the state. Terry sees mass transit as an important solution to the high price of gas. She would like to see the state reduce its reliance on sales tax and wants to pursue performance audits to help the state find an extra $10 million.

The third candidate, Ann McDonald, has been spending considerable time in north Snohomish County over the past year or more as part of her strategy to steal away the legislative position from Bailey.

McDonald launched her campaign about eight years ago by getting involved with the Coupeville Port Commission and the Regional Transportation Planning Organization for Island and Skagit counties.

Among her top priorities are veterans affairs, along with education and transportation. McDonald was clearly moved after visiting a home for veterans near Port Orchard and wants the state to build more.

To help with transportation, she wants to enhance alternatives to cars, including bike trails. She is optimistic that the Transfer of Development Rights program will help preserve agriculture.

Like all the candidates, Bailey’s next priorities are transportation and education. She recognizes the importance of training youth who are not interested in academics and helped develop a vocational education skill center in Skagit County. Bailey believes the state should look at choke points and connections in its transportation system and is excited about the idea of a maglev light rail down the center of I-5, recognizing that the state must produce a lot more revenue to fund such a costly project. To develop that revenue, she believes the state must make it easy for businesses to do business here.

All three candidates believe the proposed new four-year campus should be located north of Everett, preferring the Marysville/Smokey Point location. All agree there is no real good alternative to property taxes for funding local projects and they also agree that gas prices, transportation and the economy are big problems and that kids who do not excel in academics should be encouraged to go into the trades.

It’s a difficult choice, so we say go with the incumbent. She is open minded and well experienced. Our second choice is Patricia Terry, but it was a tough choice between two well-prepared candidates.

For more information, go to the candidates’ Web sites at: Barbara Bailey, www.leg.wa.gov/House/bailey; Ann McDonald, www.electannmcdonald.com; Patricia Terry, www.patriciaterry.org.