With the election nearing, Republican incumbent Barbara Bailey and her challenger, Democrat Patricia Terry, are squaring off to secure the District 10, Position 2 seat in the Washington state House of Representatives.

Both politicians are set to continue their whirl-wind campaign schedules until all votes are cast.

The primary election narrowed the field from three to two in Washington’s first-ever top-two primary election, held in August.

The News-Times sat down with Republican incumbent Bailey to talk about her campaign for a fourth term as state representative.

A resident of Oak Harbor since 1991, Bailey said she has a strong relationship with local businesses.

Her focus for the north end of the island, she said, is to relate to the major industry, that being the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

“I bring a lot of knowledge about the district. I’m a part of the people here,” she said, noting her involvement in the Navy League and Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m involved in our community and make it a point to be available.”

Bailey understands that the budget is tight and that some services may have to be cut.

“Special projects money is something that we’re going to have to look at more closely,” she said.

Over the past four years, Bailey’s work on the general fund budget provided insight into how the budget should be handled in the future.

She said a 33 percent increase in expenditures in the state budget over the last four years sets the House up for a very challenging time.

“We can’t sustain that kind of budget,” she said. “We have to learn to live within our means.”

Bailey would like to shift through the budget priorities and separate out projects that should be funded by state or local funds. If a project within the state budget is a local responsibility, she said, it should be funded locally.

“I don’t call it cuts, I call it redirection of spending.”

In light of the economy, Bailey said she would keep taxes at their current rates.

“At this time, an increase would simply worsen our situation. We need to make it a better environment for small businesses to grow and to maintain jobs.”

But Bailey is interested in allocating more general fund money to aide the transportation budget.

Patricia Terry, a newcomer to the election process, was unavailable for an in-person interview due to the flu, but chose to correspond with the News-Times through email.

Terry’s regional focus is on Island County’s economic vitality.

“We need a balance between growth/business opportunities and preserving the rural character of our district,” she said, adding that there is a direct relationship between the challenges people have in today’s economic climates and the need for living-wage jobs in the district.

As a registered nurse, Terry advocates for a single-payer healthcare system, providing healthcare to all Washington residents.

“For our nation to remain strong, we must have a healthy populace. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege,” she said.

Terry said that her 31 years in healthcare ­— a primary state expenditure — is a fundamental benefit to the people of the 10th District.

“Unlike the incumbent, I bring objectivity, fresh ideas and the ethics and integrity of my profession to the table,” she said.

“As virtually every state program is assessed for continuation or elimination, this expertise will be invaluable for the 2009 legislature,” she said.

Responsible management of public dollars, Terry said, is another focus of her campaign. She believes funding for education, the creation of livable wage jobs and sustainable community development are necessary investments for the state’s future.

“When public dollars are used to empower the values of social justice and equal opportunity, we have spent our dollars wisely and responsibly,” she said. “I feel strongly that the wisest investment we can make is in our state’s future.”

Terry said that everyday people are her inspiration while she campaigns.

“Both in politics and through my career as a nurse, I can tell you that there is no end to the courage and strength that people show when facing the circumstances in their lives,” she said. “Whether they have been silenced by poverty, by joblessness, by illness, or by their fears about the future, that small glimmer of hope I see in their eyes when I knock on their door and share my vision for a better future ... that is all the inspiration I will ever need.”

The all-mail election deadline is Nov. 4, but ballots should start arriving in the mail this week.

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