Whew! Now that the primary is over and we've seen Gregoire's lead dwindle down to just under 2% (a very ominous sign for her in the upcoming general election) and Dave Reichert pull away comfortably from Darcy Burner in a final 4% lead, I thought it was a good time to meet some of our state legislative candidates.

Bob Baker, a retired Navy F-14 pilot, a Top Gun graduate and former test pilot who now flies for Alaska Airlines, is running for state senate in the 41st district. The 41st district encompasses Mercer Island, parts of Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton and Newcastle. Bob is running against Fred Jarrett, former Republican who switched parties in 2007. Jarret's voting record is hardly Republican, though.

The first group on Jarret's list of endorsements is NARAL, followed by the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood and a long list of government and big labor organizations. Jarret amassed his support as a liberal Republican representative in the state house, so he brings a well funded list of endorsements.

Baker, though, is ready for the fight. He's not only a military veteran with an impressive service record, but he carries his convictions with humility and kindness. Not shy about his Christian faith and clearly proud of his family, a conversation was not difficult to start with Bob Baker. It was difficult to end, though, as he is very approachable and easy to talk to. I asked him a few questions about the campaign in his small Mercer island office.

RC: What issues for the 41st district are driving you to run against Fred Jarrett?

Baker: Taxes and transportation are two of the top issues that come to mind.
The Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax is one of the reasons Washington state has one of the highest new business failure rates in the country. The B&O taxes businesses on their GROSS income, meaning, they pay taxes on all the money that comes in, before they have even covered their overhead, salaries or expenses. It is literally the breaking point for many small businesses. The B&O should only tax profit. This is why small businesses in the 41st district are eagerly endorsing me.

RC: What are your platform points for transportation?

Baker: Well, for one, I am on board with Dino's plan. Democrats are determined to get us out of our cars and into mass transit. Mass transit has a purpose, but we need more highways to accommodate our growth in the region. Mass transit just doesn't answer most of the problems we're having with old bridges, traffic congestion and roads that are not equipped to handle the large manufacturing and commercial business activity that we have. Boeing's problems with getting the 777 completed on time and within budget is largely due to the inability to move parts up and down the narrow, congested and old highway system we have here.

RC: What does your opponent propose for transportation solutions?

Baker: Believe it or not he actually supported Proposition One. [NOTE: Prop One
was a billion dollar initiative on the 2006 state ballot that was heavily oriented to mass transit and offered no solutions to highway congestion. Voters shot it down].

Baker: Transportation is a critical issue to the residents of Mercer Island. We recently packed the Community Center with 80 residents when the Tolling Committee came to discuss funding options for a new 520 bridge. I-90 and the 520 bridge are our only options for getting on and off the island. We have firefighters, teachers and lots of people who work on the island that do not live on it. The democrats just want to keep taxing us, yet they offer no concrete plans for improvement. It's frustrating.

My opponent is a classic tax and spend, 'the bigger the government, the better,'
liberal. As a republican, he voted like a democrat and he will make sure our state continues in its same deficit spending direction that we've been in for the past four years. With him, we will get more of the same.

On a final note, Baker is proud to be a conservative and believes that the residents of the 41st district are looking for new ideas and a change of culture in Olympia. He does not believe that his constituents are getting more for their higher taxes. If you agree, you should contact his office and ask how to help get Bob Baker into the State Senate!