Candidates vying for three 30th Legislative District seats discussed public safety, education and homelessness at the Mirror’s political forum on Oct. 12.

Over 80 community members gathered at the Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club for this year’s event, which was moderated by Dr. T.M. Sell of Highline College.

For the 30th District state senate seat, incumbent Claire Wilson (D) is facing current Federal Way City Council president Linda Kochmar (R). For state representative, incumbent Jamila Taylor (D) is opposed by Federal Way Police commander Casey Jones (R) for position 1. Former state representative Kristine Reeves (D) and political newcomer Ashli Tagoai (R) are vying for position 2.

Public safety

Several candidates expressed concern over public safety and cited increases in crime as their motivation to run. A frequently noted topic of the night was the prior police reform legislation passed in 2021 by State Rep. Jesse Johnson, who is not seeking re-election.

“Public safety is the bedrock for our communities,” Jones said. “Because if people don’t feel safe, they’re not going to want to start their businesses here. They’re not going to want to send their kids to school here. They’re not going to want to get jobs here.”

All candidates were asked what it means to be “pro-police” as a politician and if they consider themselves to be “pro-police.”

Jones said he is pro-police and that being pro-police means not enacting legislation that hinders law enforcement officers from being able to do their job duties because ultimately, it burdens the community members who suffer from crimes.

Taylor said she supports community policing and having additional options of crisis centers available instead of only jails or emergency rooms for people who commit crimes. She said that in Federal Way, there have been a number of accountability issues and there needs to be a system in place to better hold officers accountable.

Reeves said being pro-police means, “I am asking a community member to show up for my community to do a job that, quite frankly, I don’t want to do.” She also said, like any profession, there needs to be accountability for wrongdoings.

Tagoai said to be pro-police is “to do exactly the opposite of what Jesse Johnson did in the Legislature,” referring to the outgoing representative’s controversial police reform bills. She advocated giving police tools, training and resources in order to improve public safety and recruit high-quality law enforcement officers.

Wilson said she is pro-police, and is also in favor of community policing plans. In the past, she has supported pay raises and increased training for officers, adding that there also needs to be an investment made into “wrap-around” behavioral and mental health services.

Kochmar explained Johnson’s police legislation bill and why it isn’t working for the community by changing the term reasonable suspicion to probable cause. She said it has led to the current state of chaos.

Education

Education was another common touchstone of the evening. When asked how they will support students and overall educational advancement of the 30th District, candidates agreed on the importance of investing in early education and into vocational programs, or Career Technical Education (CTE).

Kochmar said she is shocked by the “non-existent” discipline taking place in schools and said teachers and students need to feel safe inside schools.

Wilson, who is a former Federal Way Public Schools Board president, said: “When we set our young people up for success, we all do better.” She is in favor of comprehensive sex education, and increasing funding for social and emotional supports, as well as CTE opportunities.

Tagoai said based on her research, focus should be placed on early education in the subjects students are not performing well in, such as math. This foundation is necessary to set students up for success in the future, she said.

Reeves said the best thing to do at the moment is to invest in and support educators and teachers, creating better classrooms for students. This can be done by addressing the regionalization factor, which leads to disproportionately lower pay in Federal Way, she said.

Jones said safety is the most important factor, along with reallocating the funding of “feel good programs” into investments of STEM and vocational job programs.

Taylor said mental health supports are critical because all schools are requesting additional counselors. She said there also needs to be a better investment into youth jobs and youth programs so kids have spaces to go before or after school with safe, trustworthy adults.

Homelessness

Shifting to the topic of homelessness, candidates were asked what efforts they’ve made to understand its root causes.

Jones said he previously participated in a leadership training program that provided food for the homeless, and as a law enforcement officer, he has had daily experience in working with homeless individuals on Federal Way streets.

Taylor noted that homelessness has many causes, one of which most predominantly is evictions. She said she has sponsored legislation that provides resources to survivors and supports behavioral health programs to treat individuals with mental illness in order to help them to a stable life.

Kochmar said she has supported and worked with the Federal Way Day Center shelter and FUSION transitional housing. She said she believes that people who are addicted to substances and living in encampments need to get clean, be accountable or leave.

Wilson said she has first-hand experience working with young children who are living in cars with their families. She also has supported FUSION by getting capital funding and works with homeless youth organizations.

Tagoai said she connected with a local community advocacy group, Stand Up Federal Way, to talk to homeless individuals in the city. She said when talking about homelessness, the conversation should be about drug use and getting people access to resources for addiction issues.

Reeves, who was homeless during childhood, said that homeless individuals should not be stigmatized as drug addicts. She said that homelessness can also look like those who are couch surfing or consistently renting hotel rooms in order to have shelter, not just those in encampments.

Misc.

In a portion of the evening, candidates were given the opportunity to ask each other one question. Taylor asked Jones if he was pro-life or pro-choice, to which Jones did not answer directly and said he would not take any action to overturn the voter-approved Initiative 120, which was approved in 1991 and ​​protects a woman’s right to choose.

Jones asked Taylor what collaboration was done with law enforcement before the prior police legislation was passed. Taylor said she received information from the police chief, and this year, she voted for the legislation clarifying the language of the police pursuit bill.

Reeves asked Tagoai if she is pro-kitten or pro-puppy, to which Tagoai said she is pro-puppy (but does not want to alienate anyone). Tagoai asked Reeves to give an example of when she voted against her party. Reeves said she previously voted against an eviction reform bill with no exemption for small landlords, and though she faced backlash from her party members and others, “that’s what this job is, is standing up for your community and having the courage to say something different.”

Wilson asked Kochmar what she will do to protect an individual’s right to have an abortion. Kochmar said she is pro-life, but also pro-woman in cases that require an abortion to save the mother’s life or other exceptions. Kochmar asked Wilson about the school district and why she believes it is OK to talk about gender identity. Wilson said she has worked with kids in King County her entire life and advocates for ensuring kids have tools to be safe. These tools include comprehensive sex education, learning about consent and bodily autonomy, and prevention of unwanted pregnancies, among other safety benefits.

As one of the audience questions, candidates were asked if they believe children ages 13 to 18 should be able to have medical treatment for gender change without parental consent.

Jones, Kochmar and Tagoai said they do not support it, with Tagoai adding that she believes it sets a dangerous precedent to cut parents out of a child’s decision-making. Taylor said getting medical care in the United States is not that simple and she does support gender-affirming care for young people with the decision made with family. Reeves and Wilson said they also support gender-affirming medical care for people of any age as it is an individual decision and not one needing government intervention.

The general election is Nov. 8. To watch the full forum, visit the Mirror’s Facebook page or watch the live-streamed video here.