I would like to relate a story that is as current today as it was when it happened. I and my family lived in Tom Foley’s district before and when he was speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Our district enjoyed the benefits of having a representative who understood and worked for our unique needs. When it came time to re-elect Rep. Foley, the low-information voters decided that “Old Tom” had been in there long enough and that Nethercutt would be speaker just like Tom. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The U.S. Congress, just like the Washington State Legislature, is governed based on seniority. A newly elected representative goes to the end of the line, just like a newly elected state senator.

Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen’s fingerprints are all over our community. Do you really think that the

10-mile safety upgrade to 532 was the highest road priority in the state? Would Lenz trucking, a huge asset to our community, have a truck crawl lane? Would Stanwood be an Amtrak stop without Mary Margaret? If you live on Camano Island, you daily drive over a bridge built to withstand a major earth quake. Mary Margaret is successful because she works across party lines to build consensus and get quality legislation passed. Farmers, loggers, boat builders, business owners all have and will benefit from the wisdom and dedication to community that personifies Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen.

Dianne White
Stanwood