The Federal Way Mirror hosted a public candidate forum Wednesday for the public to meet and speak to District 30 candidates.

During the forum, candidates for the three open legislative seats had the opportunity to speak out about several issues important to the district. Candidates Mark Miloscia, Shari Song, Rep. Linda  Kochmar, Greg Baruso and Jack Dovey were present. Rep. Roger Freeman could not attend because he was undergoing cancer treatment. Freeman wrote a letter that was read to the audience, stating he regretted not attending the forum and would be back in good health soon.

“I am optimistic that I will make a full recovery and my illness certainly has not stopped me from being active in the community and continuing to represent the people of the 30th Legislative District,” he wrote. “I just completed my first successful term as your representative and I am proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

Freeman’s letter addressed education and transportation.

“We must satisfy our obligation to fully funding education, but do so by being mindful of the impacts that education budget decisions have on other critical functions of government including law enforcement, seniors citizens and colleges,” he wrote. “We must also finally get serious about creating a transportation system that works for all of us. Our economy depends on getting goods to market and people to work.”

Ballots for the general election were mailed to voters on Oct. 15.

The Mirror also took questions from the audience throughout the forum to ask the candidates.

Candidates were asked if they thought freeway traffic is in crisis stage, and what they would do about it.

Dovey said he agreed transportation is an issue for residents and fixing State Route 167 is the most critical.

“I recently went to a national transportation convention where 86 percent of the people in the country said we needed to fix transportation,” he said. “Funding transportation must be done creatively as we look at the budget, but I believe funding education should be the top budget priority.”

Baruso said transportation should be a key priority for the city.

“We need to move goods off the roads and transport our people so we can strengthen our economy,” he said. “This might mean we sit down and figure out if we need to raise taxes.”

Kochmar pointed out she was a part of the transportation committee in Olympia and voted on the transportation package.

“There was a recent survey that went out regarding this issue and the result said 1,000 of you wanted better transportation, but you wanted us to use your money wisely,” she said. “That is something I am committed to and I think a big part of ensuring your money is safe is if we were to get some reforms.”

Miloscia said investing in a transportation package would be investing in our future.

“We need to get rid of the waste and all the systems that aren’t working,” he said. “We also need to focus on our seniors, our elderly and those with disabilities to ensure we are meeting their specific transportation needs.”

The candidates were asked what their thoughts were regarding the Washington State Supreme Court McCleary decision on public education, which states policymakers must make progress toward fully funding basic education by 2018.

Kochmar brought up Initiative 1351, saying the state already might have to spend as much as $5.7 billion more on education through 2019 to comply with the court’s McCleary decision.

“That’s after the $1 billion the Legislature already has added,” she said. “We need to sit and work it out and be careful to be transparent to the public.”

Baruso said he disagreed with Kochmar and thinks I-1351 should be implemented.

“I don’t look for short-term solutions, I look for long-term,” he said. “We need to clean up our budgets and figure this out.”

Miloscia stated making reforms was a way to help fund education.

“We can fully fund education if we do it the right way,” he said. “Right now our government is inefficient and what we need is to create a balanced budget that will allow us to see how we could fully fund education.”

The candidates were asked how they would work to eliminate poverty in Federal Way.

Dovey said he believed poverty was a big issue in Federal Way and the citizens as well as leaders needed to band together to take care of those in need.

“We need to support our local food banks, homeless shelters, our volunteers and anything else we can do to help,” he said. “It is our responsibility to put those people in a safety net and to make sure they don’t fall through.”

Baruso pointed out there is a large homeless population in the city.

“We need to get involved in our local organizations that help the homeless and do all we can,” he said.

Kochmar said Federal Way has many shelters for adults, alcoholics and families.

“We have some great resources for those in need at our disposal,” she said. “What I think we need to work on is creating shelters for our children and ensuring they have meals at their schools.”

Song said the pathway out of poverty is through education.

“Education is essential in ensuring our kids get jobs and stop the poverty trend,” she said.

The candidates were asked whether they thought “pot shops” should be allowed in Federal Way, as the Council voted this week to extend another moratorium on the sales, processing and production of recreation marijuana.

“I respect the wishes of the voters to legalize marijuana and sales,” Song said, adding that she would support Washington state law.

Baruso agreed with Song in that “it’s the vote of the people.” He pointed out that the city’s efforts to revitalize the downtown core could be affected if a ban was put in place because of a potential loss on future revenue. However, he did agree with the Council’s decision to spend more time analyzing the issue with a six month moratorium and he wasn’t the only one.

“I’m glad the city’s taking their time with this,” said Miloscia, noting he has concerns with the potential public health aspect and possible increased usage among children. “We need to make sure consumption of marijuana stays low and in control.”

Kochmar and Dovey also agreed with the moratorium but indicated they had more permanent reservations about the issue.

Kochmar acknowledged the problem with the state law was that it forces marijuana retailers to operate as cash-only businesses, which attracts burglars and robbers. But she’s ultimately spent her life trying to keep her six children away from marijuana because she believes the drug is harmful.

Dovey recalled when he was on the City Council, they received a “letter from the feds” warning not to get involved with the business because it was still illegal on a federal level.

Nearly all of the candidates had ideas on how to improve Washington’s education system if money wasn’t involved. Song and Baruso pointed toward the benefits of parents being heavily involved in their child’s classroom, while Dovey suggested it could be improved if “everyone in this room” joined Communities In Schools, a local organization that works to prevent student dropouts.

Tax loopholes was also an area of discussion that received a lot of attention when it came to balancing the budget.

According to Miloscia, there’s not enough funds from closing each tax loophole, which range between $80,000 to $100,000, he said.

“Focusing on loopholes will not solve problems,” he said.

Kochmar affirmed the number is actually $300 million in total.

“Who would ever think we’d lose our major corporations?” she asked, pointing out that Weyerhaeuser left Federal Way and Boeing headquarters is now out of state. “Sometimes what sounds good, isn’t.”

Song pointed out the usefulness of sunset provisions. If a business doesn’t create 10,000 jobs in five years like they say they’re going to, they should have to pay back the tax exemptions, she said.

And Baruso, whose been a proponent for doing away with tax loopholes, said the Legislature has to “cut away the fat” but also recognized the benefit of positive incentives depending on the situation.

Aside from Miloscia’s lack of stance on the topic, the gun control issue was neatly divided down the middle between Republicans and Democrats.

Kochmar said she would be supporting Initiative 591, the law that would ensure it would be illegal for any government agency to confiscate guns or firearms from citizens without due process. It would also make it illegal for government agencies to require background checks on firearm recipients unless a uniform national standard is required.

“I don’t want my father to commit a felony if he transfers a gun,” she said.

Dovey said through knocking on people’s doors during this election season, he’s observed that the average person supports I-591 and he believes I-594 is being supported by “big money from the outside.”

But as a fireman, Baruso said he has seen the aftermath of shootings and believes in I-594.

The law seeks background checks for firearm sales and transfers, which includes those at gun shows and purchases made online. Song said she’s looked at the numbers and more background checks reduce the amount of guns in the hands of convicted domestic abusers and other criminals.

For more information about each candidate in the 30th Legislative District, visit their campaign websites. The general election will be held on Nov. 4.

Reporter Raechel Dawson also contributed to this report.