The Mirror’s Editorial Board researched and interviewed candidates in a host of races important to Federal Way so it could make informed voting recommendations in important elections. Each candidate who met with the board was afforded no less than 45 minutes to talk about themselves, their positions and their goals if elected, as well as to answer a variety of questions posed by the seven-member panel.

Having completed that process with candidates for Washington State Auditor and Washington Supreme Court, Position 6 – two statewide races featuring candidates from Federal Way – the Mirror recommends Federal Way residents cast their State Auditor votes for Mark Miloscia and their Washington Supreme Court votes for incumbent Charles Wiggins.

Miloscia, one of Federal Way’s state representatives from 1998-2012 and its state senator since 2014, should be fairly familiar to Federal Way voters. The Democrat-turned-Republican’s fierce advocacy of streamlined government and his stalwart defense of taxpayer dollars have not endeared Miloscia to Olympia’s political power-brokers, but they have given him a solid resume for State Auditor. A tireless proponent of tested methods of analysis, efficiency and improvement, Miloscia has spent years immersed in the subjects and methodologies the public should want out of its auditors.

Miloscia’s zeal for lean, effective organizations pushes him ahead of his opponent, Pat McCarthy. McCarthy, the two-term Pierce County Executive who spent six years as a county auditor before that, is an excellent public servant. The Democrat has experience managing a large organization, something Miloscia does not convincingly have, and her experience in the political world helps her know how to get things done in the byzantine world of public policy. In another year, against a candidate who’s less a perfect fit for the office she desires, McCarthy would be an excellent choice.

But in this race for Washington State Auditor, the Mirror recommends voters cast their vote for Mark Miloscia.

For Washington Supreme Court Position 6, incumbent Justice Charles Wiggins deserves re-election. Wiggins’ rulings, thought process, and experience paint a clear picture of an intellectual, circumspect judge with a deep respect for the nuances and long-term impacts of the law. He holds legal precedent on a higher plane than he holds his own opinions, and such an approach to the court is something that should be sought out in a justice.

The Mirror’s endorsement of Wiggins was not an easy one. Judge Dave Larson, a former Federal Way Public Schools board member and the presiding judge of the Federal Way Municipal Court, is a beloved figure in Federal Way. He’s popular for good reason: A passionate education advocate, a dedicated community servant, and a civic leader with a heart matched only by a commitment to smart policy, Larson would make an excellent legislator or councilman. He thinks outside the box and seeks results over adherence to tradition, and he has a lot of bold ideas on policy, particularly regarding criminal justice.

But Larson’s intelligence, passion, and willingness to take fresh looks at longtime problems are less desirable in a race for the Supreme Court than Wiggins’ careful, broad view of legal issues. Larson agrees with the McCleary decision but feels the related contempt ruling, with its daily fines against the Legislature, are a threat to the separation of powers. This is a defensible position, but Larson says his solution, had he been on the bench, would have been to apply the otherwise-respectable process of arbitration on the divided government, bringing negotiators from the three branches together to hash out their differences.

This position is not defensible, violating Federalist ideals more baldly than the fines.

Wiggins takes the historical perspective, noting that past orders to fund education were ignored by lawmakers, adding that punitive fines are within the Court’s authority. One with that kind of broad view is precisely the justice voters deserve.

As such, the Mirror recommends voters cast their vote for Charles Wiggins in the race for Washington Supreme Court Position 6.

The Mirror’s Editorial Board is a seven-member panel made up of the Mirror’s publisher, its editor, and five residents from the community. The positions expressed in editorials produced by the board are the Mirror’s official positions, and those positions are decided following a simple majority vote taken after extensive consideration, discussion, and a preponderance of information.