The Mirror is offering District 30 state representative candidates (position 2) an opportunity to speak to readers in their own words before the primary election. Below, the candidates answer the question: What is your top priority for District 30, if elected?

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KATRINA ASAY

My top priority for District 30 is to help facilitate the development of a sustainable state budget in order to bring jobs to our district and relieve the tax burden. The Legislature did not rise to the challenge of restructuring the core elements of our state budgeting process. Instead, they voted by just over 50 percent to undo the mandate of I-960 that required two-thirds majority vote for any tax increases. Not only does this go against the will of the people, it does nothing to curb the spending.

The budget must get back to the priorities of government and fund what the government is there to fund: Schools, public safety and protecting the most vulnerable. I will work to balance the budget the same way we brought a nearly bankrupt city back to financial stability when I became mayor of the City of Milton. First, look at every program and service provided by the state and review whether it is a service the state should be providing; or should another entity be responsible for it. Then define the government’s priorities and fund them to the appropriate level from the top down. This requires difficult yet critical decisions to be made.

Balancing the budget by limiting spending instead of raising taxes will help alleviate undue burdens on our citizens and on our businesses. This will allow businesses to prosper and to create the family-wage jobs we need so desperately here in the 30th District.

Fast facts: Asay has served as mayor of Milton for the past six years.

Website: www.votekatrinaasay.com

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ED BARNEY

The best thing I can do for the 30th District is to work on getting Washington state’s financial house in order. We need financial stability and financial responsibility. Enough is enough! Studies have been done: The Legislature has the information on what needs to be done. They only lack the courage to make it happen. It is time to be responsible with the taxpayers’ dollars. Tax and spend initiatives are not working. It is time to tighten our belt, balance the budget and prioritize goverment spending.

Fast facts: Last fall, Barney was re-elected to his third term on the Federal Way School Board.

Website: www.fwps.org/info/board/members/memberbarney.html

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JERRY GALLAND

Spend all of my time representing the residents of Federal Way and the 30th District. I will be servant only to the constituents in the district. I am taking an unpaid leave of absence from Boeing to dedicate 100 percent to this elected office. My opponents will take real estate or charity agendas of their present occupations to Olympia.

I will restore economic and employment stability to the city of Federal Way.

For the past several years, our Legislature has taken careful and progressive steps to hinder economic development and growth.

By creating and raising taxes on business and citizens, the opportunity for self-sustaining business has plummeted. While state government employment numbers have soared (estimated 33 percent in eight years), private sector jobs have vaporized. With unemployed in our state near a record 9.7 percent, our community is hit hard. The downtown business core reveals a depressed economy, which reflects on the steady decline in city revenues, forcing reductions in services.

Presently, the Legislature shows blatant disregard for sustainable, responsible and productive development. A dramatic change in leadership is needed to derail the runaway budget deficit train.

I will restore and respect the two-thirds voting requirement needed to raise taxes.

I will introduce legislation to roll back $800 million in new taxes imposed after the passage of SB 6130.

I will steadfastly and passionately represent you in Olympia. For a look at the passion and selfless energy I give to my community, visit www.GallandStateRepresentative.com. Give a pint at the Puget Sound Blood Center: www.psbc.org

Fast facts: In 2007, Galland formed a committee to help defeat the annexation effort of unincorporated King County east of I-5.

Website: www.GallandStateRepresentative.com

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CAROL GREGORY

My top priority is ensuring good paying jobs with good benefits. Too often, our elected leaders fall into a short-sighted trap of only looking at the next fiscal quarter or the next budget without taking a step back and looking at the impact of short-term decisions over time.

We did not adequately prepare for this economic recession during the good years. We should’ve focused more resources on job growth, workforce retraining and our public schools. We relied too much on housing construction and low-wage service jobs to create jobs. Now, our state’s economy is still struggling with unemployment hovering around 10 percent statewide. If we had done more planning and prioritized community colleges, vocational training, our four-year universities and our public schools, we would have the kind of highly skilled and highly trained workforce that encourages companies to move to Washington state. We would’ve limited the damage of the global recession because our economy was based on skilled jobs at innovative companies.

However, it’s never too late to learn from past mistakes. I have a background both as a public school advocate (starting as a former teacher) and as a non-profit project director helping people move from low-wage jobs into the middle class. I’m ready to take these skills to Olympia to refocus on our biggest challenge: How do we create an economy for the long-term that can minimize the impact of recessions while ensuring good paying jobs?

This will involve reprioritizing our state resources; reforming our tax system to make it more fair (especially for small businesses); minimizing petty partisanship; and being open to new and creative ideas in education and economic development. I would be excited to work with all of you to take on these challenges.

Fast facts: Gregory, the only Democrat in this race, ran for this position against Skip Priest in the 2008 general election.

Website: http://pt-br.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17387224829

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ANTHONY KALCHIK

With record home foreclosures and staggering unemployment rates, my top priority when elected is simple: That is to get people working again and stimulate our economy. With the recent departure of Boeing, and the 30th District’s native Weyerhaeuser Corp. laying off half of their workforce from the Federal Way-based headquarters, Olympia has once again decided to pass more regulation, and again, raise taxes during the 2010 special session and continue its “business as usual” mentality using our hard-earned tax dollars to promote the same failing agenda of bigger government and higher taxes.

This isn’t an issue of partisan politics. It’s an issue of taxes and spending carried on the backs of working-class families and small business, and I’m running to change that! We need bipartisan solutions to loosen burdens on small business including rollbacks of the 2010 B&O tax on service-based businesses and L&I tax increases. We need to make Washington competitive again and attract new companies to our state. That way, instead of us creating/saving government jobs, we can actually start producing private-sector jobs and together we’ll get Washington working again!

I love our country too much to see our government continually make decisions mirroring those of the Soviet regime that my family and I had escaped from. This is the people’s seat and I pledge to continue the tradition of independent leadership set forth by my predecessors.

Fast facts: Kalchik, a real estate agent, ran for the state House in 2007 against Mark Miloscia.

Website: www.votekalchik.com

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LEARN MORE

The Mirror is offering District 30 state representative (position 2) candidates an opportunity to speak to readers in their own words before the primary election. Each candidate received a list of questions about their goals and vision.

Their answers will appear the next two Saturdays in The Mirror. A debate for Legislature candidates is slated for 6 p.m. July 26 at Federal Way High School’s little theater, located off Pacific Highway South at South 304th Street.