Yellow Pages
The Skagit Valley Herald’s recommendations for statewide offices:
Attorney General
Republican incumbent Rob McKenna has earned another term for a strong performance that includes a dedication to open government and the people’s right to know, consumer protection, and an expanding effort to control computer crimes.
His Democratic opponent, John Ladenburg, has a strong resume that includes his current service as Pierce County executive. But Ladenburg has not made the case for unseating McKenna, who has run his office with a high degree of professionalism and in a nonpartisan manner.
McKenna helped lead a successful effort to procure state funding for local law enforcement task forces to battle the scourge of meth.
Commissioner of Public Lands
Republican incumbent Doug Sutherland has worked to balance the interests of the many stakeholders in our public lands, including resource-based industries, environmentalists, tribes and the many school districts that rely upon revenue from income derived from public lands. He should be re-elected.
Sutherland worked hard to forge a compromise on preserving much of Blanchard Mountain’s forests for the enjoyment of recreationists while keeping faith with the local communities that are entitled to a share of revenues from timber harvests.
If Democrat Peter Goldmark were elected, he would bring to the office the impressive credentials of an Eastern Washington rancher with a strong environmental background and a Ph.D in molecular biology. But he hasn’t convinced us that Sutherland’s record warrants his defeat on Nov. 4.
State Auditor
Democratic incumbent Brian Sonntag has distinguished himself as the people’s eye on the public treasury and the performance of public agencies. Once his office was finally authorized, by citizen initiative, to conduct performance audits, he rolled up his sleeves and took on the task with a will.
He is another public servant who puts party affiliation aside while serving the public. He deserves another term.
Secretary of State
Republican Sam Reed has done an excellent job and deserves four more years in office. He has been fair-minded and open to differing points of view. He has kept his party loyalties on the sideline when dealing with election issues.
Most notably, he stood up to the leaderships of both the Republican and Democratic parties in defending and implementing the top-two primary system enacted by voter initiative.
• Editorials reflect the consensus opinion of the editorial board and are written by its members: Publisher L. Stedem Wood, Editor Don Nelson and City Editor Dick Clever.
