By PAT JENKINS

The Mirror

Sharp exchanges between two contenders with high hopes of being elected and the barbs of an admittedly no-chance third--party candidate were highlights of a political forum Thursday in the 30th District races for state representative.

Two Republicans, two Democrats and one Libertarian answered written questions from audience members at the two-hour event at La Quinta Inn and Suites in Federal Way, sponsored by the Mirror and the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce.

The candidates hoped to sway votes their way in their run toward the Nov. 2 general election. At stake are House Positions 1 and 2 in the Legislature.

Mark Miloscia, the Democrat incumbent in Position 1, was the target of pointed criticism by his chief election rival, Republican Tony Moore.

Portraying Miloscia as an ineffective legislator during three two-year terms in office, Moore asked the approximately 60 audience members, “Are you better off today than you were six years ago?”

Moore claimed Miloscia has failed to win passage of any legislation advancing the representative’s pet project, performance audits for state government agencies. “And he’s been in the political majority (of the House) all that time,” Moore said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if Mr. Miloscia was effective.”

Moore said people care less about government audits than they do about transportation, healthcare and education.

Moore and Miloscia spent virtually equal time emphasizing those issues and the economy. Among other things, Moore said outsourcing of jobs in Washington that are supported by tax dollars “should be illegal,” the state’s tax structure is too restrictive for businesses and limiting economic growth, and generic drugs are an answer to the high cost of prescription merdicine. Miloscia said schools should be more disciplined and safer, companies receiving tax breaks aren’t holding up their end by creating more jobs (“We need to change that”), and the elderly should be ensured of adequate healthcare in their final years.

Miloscia (for it) and Moore (against it) differed strongly when asked their opinion of automatic increases of the state’s minimum wage. But they agreed the percentage of yes votes to pass local school funding measures should be a simple majority instead of the 60 percent supermajority.

Moore took one more jab at Miloscia after the representative said he’s proud of helping turn the state away from the Peasley Canyon area as a possible site for a halfway house for convicted sexual offenders. Moore intimated the real credit should go to other elected officials “when we discuss Mr. Miloscia’s record.”

Robert Brengman, a Libertarian Party candidate against Moore and Miloscia, didn’t participate in the forum.

But Jonathan Wright, a Libertarian running for Position 2, came close to stealing the attention from the leading candidates for that seat –– the Republican incuimbent, Skip Priest, and Democrat Joe Henry.

Wright fired blunt, witty zingers about the performance in the Legislature of Republicans and Democrats, often peppering his comments with self-effacing remarks about his pending defeat at the polls –– a certainty, based on the 224 votes he received in the primary election last month, thousands fewer than Priest and Henry.

“I know I’m going to come in third,” he said. “I’m not a professional legislator, and that’s in my favor. How’s our education, transportation and employment” under major-party rule of state government?

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