The Mirror’s editorial board endorses the following candidates in the 2014 general election:

State Senate: Mark Miloscia

In the hotly contested Senate race for the 30th Legislative District, the Mirror endorses Mark Miloscia, who has a long history of serving the Federal Way community through his work for the Federal Way Community Caregiving Network and Reachout homeless organization, among others.

Miloscia will bring experience to the office, having already served seven terms as a former state representative for District 30. In the Legislature, he helped the homeless, protected taxpayers, initiated performance audits and worked to address the unfair funding gap Federal Way schools face.

Miloscia vows to make government more efficient, which is what the Legislature needs during this critical time of finding money to fund public schools. He also promises to help protect the most vulnerable in our community.

His challenger Shari Song is passionate about working families, women and protecting Federal Way’s quality of life. Song is very knowledgeable about the issues the Legislature faces. She should definitely run for office again after she gets her feet wet serving the community as a volunteer and building deeper connections.

However, voters are best served by Miloscia’s experience.

State representative, Pos. 1: Linda Kochmar

Incumbent Linda Kochmar’s experience and 16-year history with District 30 are hard to beat. Kochmar has served the community from the ground up, as a City Councilwoman, deputy mayor, mayor and then state representative. She has served on numerous local and regional committees, addressing issues ranging from human trafficking to transportation and business.

Kochmar has the answers regarding issues the Legislature faces and knows the district inside out. She is committed to improving education outcomes, transportation, public safety and has creative ideas about creating jobs in Federal Way.

Her challenger Greg Baruso has a contagious passion for public service as a long-time firefighter. He serves on the Diversity Commission and is establishing roots in the community. Baruso shows potential and should run for office again after he gains more experience and learns more about the district.

Voters will benefit by electing Kochmar, who is more engaged in all facets of Federal Way.

State representative, Pos. 2: Roger Freeman

The Mirror also endorses incumbent Roger Freeman, who is completing a successful first term in the state House. Freeman is a strong advocate for people with disabilities and passed six legislative bills into law that preserve the rights of parents and empower people with disabilities, and protect police and firefighters injured in the line of duty.

Freeman also helped bring $2.6 million back to District 30 to fund capital projects, including $2 million that was awarded to Federal Way to advance the Performing Arts and Conference Center.

Freeman is an inspiration to those battling cancer and we continue to wish him well as he recovers from cancer.

His opponent Jack Dovey has served Federal Way well as former mayor, helping to build Celebration Park and create the Federal Way Police Department. Dovey knows the community and has solid leadership experience gained while on the City Council. He should run for office again once he addresses his personal financial issues and can demonstrate a consistent track record of paying his property taxes on time.

9th Congressional District

The Mirror will not endorse the 9th Congressional District race as both incumbent Adam Smith and his challenger Doug Basler were unable to attend the board interview meetings.

Ballots for the general election should be postmarked by Nov. 4.

Contact: editorialboard@federalwaymirror.com