Kaiser, taxes weigh heavily in 4th District

Incumbent Rep. Crouse pushing tax relief; Lockout prompted Ford-Duncan's challenge

Lorie Hutson - Staff writer

Spokane _ They have Kaiser Aluminum in common, but that's where the similarities stop and the campaigning begins in the race for a state House seat in the 4th District.

Before he was elected to the office in 1994, Republican Rep. Larry Crouse worked at Kaiser for two decades as a machinist and manager. His challenger, Democrat Carol Ford-Duncan, has worked at Kaiser since she moved to the Spokane Valley from Montana 28 years ago.

Ford-Duncan, 46, said her experience lobbying to extend unemployment benefits for locked-out Steelworkers last year convinced her to run for office. The full Legislature never considered the bill because it died in committee.

"That's what made me sit back in the balcony and say, `What are these people doing? Have they forgotten families?"' Ford-Duncan said. "That question weighed very heavily on my mind for many months before I decided to do this."

Crouse, 56, said there was nothing he could do to help the striking workers during the last session because the bill was killed before it reached the House. But he said he's been trying to help the 4th District's working families in other ways since he was elected.

"Olympia has a lot of money and we are being burdened by taxes that are too high," Crouse said. "I have worked to see what we can do about tax reductions in any form."

During the last session, Crouse and fellow Republicans offered a bill that would have phased out the state's portion of property taxes. The tax relief didn't pass, but Crouse and his party are planning to push the measure again next session.

Ford-Duncan said helping her friends and neighbors try to make ends meet during the strike sealed her commitment to campaigning for affordable health care coverage for everyone.

"We have suffered a number of months -- two years almost -- without health care for some of our families," Ford-Duncan said.

Washington must try to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to try to lower the costs of prescription drugs, she said.

"I've met people that don't want to turn their heat on; people that are skimping on I don't want to know what just to be able to afford their medication -- taking half-pills and not eating full meals. It's sad and it's not necessary in this day and age."

Crouse believes bringing competition back to the health insurance business will make health care more affordable. A bill passed last year should help lure companies back to Washington and offer residents more choices for individual health care, he said.

"We have made some improvements and we are going to continue to make more improvements until we get to a system where the people have choices about what they are going to buy and where they can get it," he said.

Ford-Duncan said she will support Gov. Gary Locke's direction on education if elected to office.

Teachers need a pay raise and they must have smaller classes so they can give children individual attention, she said.

Ford-Duncan said her family started one of the first cyber-cafes for teens called Koffe.com in 1993. She got to know many of the kids, and some even stayed in her home.

During the strike and lockout, Ford-Duncan helped organize drives for school supplies and Christmas gifts for Kaiser families.

"The children are our future," Ford-Duncan said. "They need our voice now, because they will become our voice later."

Crouse said the key to giving children a better chance to learn the basics in school is to give them more state-funded choices.

He supports charter schools and vouchers.

"Kids have the right to succeed, at least to have the opportunity to succeed," Crouse said. "We want to give parents choices and the schools that aren't performing will lose students and money."

There is at least one issue where the candidates come close to agreement. They both said the government can help Spokane attract more jobs to the area.

Crouse said high taxes on businesses stifles entrepreneurs and limits the opportunity for workers.

Ford-Duncan advocates tax breaks or other incentives for businesses that will bring jobs with "livable wages" to Spokane.

She said her connection to her friends and neighbors gives her the edge over Crouse. Some legislators forget who put them in office, she said.

"I am still in touch with my friends and neighbors."

But Crouse said that's criticism he doesn't deserve.

"I think government in general has lost touch with regular people, but that's in general," Crouse said.

"I feel I'm doing the best that I can."