12th District Reps. Goehner, Steele hold town hall

OLYMPIA – State District 12 representatives Michael Steele (R-Chelan) and Keith Goehner (R-Dryden) held a virtual joint town hall meeting Tuesday, March 23. The two were asked questions from both pre-submitted (online) and phone-in community members during the one hour plus session, hosted by a House Republicans spokesman.

Steele, in his third term in Olympia, cited the fact that rural citizens must travel further to obtain basic goods, in his response to a question about the program that was initiated last summer, which might charge a road usage fee per mile.

He stated he was part of the pilot project and noted that “it takes me 45 minutes just to drive from my home to Costco.”

He went on to say that the state “must find other ways to raise revenues” other than relying on increasing the gas tax. “Shifting to alternative fuels” might be one way to level the driving playing field across the state, according to Steele.

One caller questioned the state voting tabulation system and said he has lost trust in the status quo because he felt many non-citizens were allowed to vote and to serve jury duty, all because they were registered as voters while getting drivers licenses.

Steele stated, “voting had always been an important part of his life ever since he would accompany his parents to go and vote as a youngster.”

He advocated for enforcement of identification practices to stop non-citizens from serving on juries as well as voting. “There should be a higher bar” that voters must reach to be allowed to vote, Steele said. “Voting is a fundamental reality of being a citizen,” he concluded.

Goehner and Steel both said they were happy that Secretary of State Kim Wyman could be trusted to run elections fairly and be on guard for voting anomalies.

Phyllis from Manson questioned the two, both growers, as to what can be done to help small farmers to compete with massive corporate farms in the light of more property and employment taxes. Steele said “Property owners were hardest hit,” by the pandemic.

“Property taxes were just one way of shifting burden from one group to another,” said Goehner, who noted that “in the last nine years, the cost of running state government has gone up 80 percent.”

Steele said the passage of the payroll tax, HB1087 should have undergone a logistics analysis before the law passed.

Steele also said there was a reason for separation of powers in a democracy and part of that was for him and others elected by their constituency to do what he was elected to do.

Having the governor enact executive decisions showed a “lack of collaboration” and led to frustration among legislators, according to both men.

Goehner said the emergency powers vested in the executive of the state were meant for unforeseen emergencies and not for “sustained emergencies” such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which crippled economies statewide.

“More heads are better than one,” Steele said. Goehner agreed stating, “A broader base of input was needed for statewide declarations.”

On a more positive note, both men agreed that state forestry management was vital to lowering the dangers of reoccurring massive wildfires.

“It’s important that we recognize the role forest management plays” in regards to habitat, clean air, clean water and the reduction of fire particulates into the air, Goehner said.

Steele said it was a good thing that State Director of Public Lands Hilary Franz was able to help steer HB1168 through acceptance in the House as it will “help reduce greenhouse” production.

Although Franz is a Democrat, she holds one of the few statewide posts that attract bipartisan agreement from both sides of the mountains.

Regarding HB1054, Goehner and Steele voted against attempts by the Democratic majority to reduce law enforcement’s ability to fight crime, but to no avail.

“There is already so much liability involved,” said Goehner about fighting crime. “We must ensure tactics, equipment” and hiring and training of officers does not hamper police departments.

Steele said the state “should not reduce resources” when it comes to law enforcement.

The Growth Management Act (GMA) also came up during questioning, but Goehner noted “a lot can be done without being mandated” by Olympia.

Steele, who spent years on the Chelan City Council agreed.

“There should be balance in the GMA,” not just in regards to the environment,” he said. Steele said more government regulation wasn’t the answer.

SEPA and NEPA rules also play a part in regulations besides the 30-year-old GMA, according to both men.

“The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process identifies and analyzes environmental impacts associated with governmental decisions. These decisions may be related to issuing permits for private projects, constructing public facilities, or adopting regulations, policies, and plans.

The SEPA review process helps agency decision-makers, applicants, and the public understand how the entire proposal will affect the environment. SEPA can be used to modify or deny a proposal to avoid, reduce, or compensate for probable impacts,” according to the SEPA website. 

NEPA, or National Environment Policy Act, enacted in 1970, mandates governments "to use all practicable means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to foster and promote the general welfare, to create and maintain conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans."