Candidate Profile: Jamie Smith For District 25

SEATTLE — The 2020 election is heating up in Washington and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the occupants of several state representative and senate seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jamie Smith, a Puyallup resident is running for State Representative District 25 Position 1.

Age: 38
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: Five amazing nieces and nephews ages 3-10.
Occupation: High School History Teacher, 17 years in Education
Previous elected experience: N/A
Family members in government: No
Campaign website: VoteJamieSmith.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Mental health. In my 17 years in education I have seen a significant increase in mental health issues among my students and community. We must work to promote students' physical, mental, and social health by not only ensuring funding for counselors, but also making sure that counselors actually have time to work with the students. While funding for more counselors will likely be on hold due to COVID we can still provide more services to students by ensuring that counselors spend a set percentage of their time each week with direct student contact. This will allow them to help students learn skills they can use the rest of their lives and help them connect with other community services they may need without needing more current funding. Within the greater community we must promote resources for the mental and physical health of residents. We have a shortage of mental health professionals and need to incentivize their location throughout the state and not just King County, work towards a single-payer health system, and make sure that family practice doctors can afford to work throughout the state- as the rural areas are seeing a sharp decline in available professionals.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe in science and listening to the experts. My opponent went on the news and Facebook declaring the Covid Emergency over on May 5th. She joined the lawsuit against Governor Inslee’s phased plan because it didn’t open things up overnight. In her news conference she said both that there was not enough PPE and we need to open everything up. Having a shortage of PPE is reason to keep people distant and safe, not open everything up to expose our most vulnerable, especially when the experts were warning of increasing spread and more deaths. We know that COVID was not over on May 5th, and that those countries that have listened to the scientists and experts have done significantly better than areas where the leaders have ignored them. This is part of the reason why the Tacoma New Tribune endorsed me and said “There’ nobody better to represent students, families and teachers in East Pierce County than Smith, a smart and passionate Rogers High School social studies teacher.”

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have experience working with diverse populations within my community. As a teacher, coach, adviser, and union representative I have experience working with all stakeholders to build coalitions between the schools, administration, and the community. I have diffused tensions in situations with parents, students, and staff. I know what hard work is and often put in 60-80 hour weeks, and I’m not afraid to stand up for the marginalized. I have a history of working within my community to help through my church outreach committee, which was honored for our work this past year by the Pierce County Council, as a leadership teacher my students were awarded High School Blood Drive of the Year, and for three years I worked on a task forces that brought together teachers, administrators, and central office staff to choose a framework for, and create a new teacher evaluation system. As an educator I will bring an authentic voice to Olympia. I will work to build bridges by inviting both sides to the table to discuss our needs, and work together to find solutions.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

Our small businesses are in trouble. They estimate 12-46% of small businesses will not make it through January. These are our mom and pop shops and are labors of love. Not a 9-5 job, but 24/7. We must find ways to partner with the Federal, state, county, and local governments to invest capital into the businesses through grants, loans, and campaigns to shop and eat local. These are the businesses that invest in our communities, sponsor little leagues, and for every dollar we spend in small businesses 64-73% stays local and is reinvested back into our community. Most small businesses don’t have HR departments that can follow every change and adapt immediately. As we reopen we need clear and concise rules and help to provide the PPE and other items needed to reopen safely. For instance, in the Puyallup area the County has helped with local farms, such as Sidhu farms by providing them with $6,000 of equipment to sanitize their area so they could open their pumpkin patch safely. Economic development is a team sport and everyone must work together to survive. These businesses are the backbone of our community and we must help them succeed with access to capital, fair regulation, and clear reopening strategies.
Finally we must invest to rebuild and repair our failing infrastructure. This provides for family wage jobs that put money directly back into our communities and builds our economy for the future. In our area completing 167 will allow traffic to flow faster which allows parents to spend more time with their children, goods to arrive in stores quicker which saves on costs, and cars to get off the roads faster which helps the environment.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

All voices must be heard and respected, and we should be looking to those who have been disenfranchised to help us overcome the issues Washington faces. Simply telling people what we think they need is not the answer. Those who struggle know best what they need to be supported and we need to take everyone’s concerns and issues seriously. Social justice encompasses all aspects of our lives and requires comprehensive interdisciplinary action to improve the livelihoods of the underrepresented and unjustly disadvantaged including housing justice, healthcare justice, and education justice. We must support policies to make sure the economy works for people of all ethnicities and backgrounds by paying living wages, having safe working conditions, and healthcare for everyone.
Coming from a law enforcement family, I understand that foundational changes are needed and our state needs comprehensive criminal justice reform, such as a statewide body camera program for patrolmen. I believe that community-police-partnerships are important for effective community safety, but the key is that both the community and the police department must both engage. I support a progressive integration of services so that the police and community can work together to provide community support and safety. My brother is in law enforcement down in Eugene, Oregon where they have the CAHOOTS program that partners the police and mental health professionals. This allows the trained professionals to help those suffering from mental health problems, freeing up both the police and fire departments to focus on community support. In Bend, Oregon they also have an amazing Drug Court program that brings community members, health agencies, and families together to help people overcome drug addictions rather than just locking them up. This program has had over a 90% success rate helping individuals overcome addictions and remain within the community. Finally all of our courts need night hours to accommodate those who work during the day. I believe by working together, sharing responsibility, and holding each other accountable, we can make progress towards more effective policing and more accessible community policies.

How do you think Washington should address the threat posed by climate change?

Climate change is among the greatest challenges humanity faces, and those of us with the least means carry the greatest burden. As we grow we must be aware of our impact on the environment and work to promote environmentally friendly construction. Maintaining a good environment is good for residents and brings people to the state. Washington must invest in green jobs, which will expand the workforce and protect our environment. We must both promote the growth of sustainable industries and invest in job training for these roles. Job training benefits young communities and historically disenfranchised communities by providing opportunities for a better livelihood for generations to come. With so many renewable resources within the state we can increase jobs in solar, hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, and in the work that the universities are doing with tidal energy. These industries will offer jobs not only in the day to day operations, but through the design, construction, and maintenance as well.
We must also invest in infrastructure to keep Washington moving and decrease our greenhouse gases. This is not simply adding more roads, but increasing and upgrading rail lines, ferries, buses, and light rail to allow all residents access to public transportation. As Washington continues to grow we need more rapid transit during all hours of the day to enable public transportation options that work for residents and electric charging stations across the state. We also need to focus on limiting suburban sprawl by building more walking/biking communities which decrease commute times and gas emissions by producing compact, affordable housing, especially in areas with readily available public transit options, food, and healthcare facilities within a walkable distance.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

We must work to create more classes for both career and college readiness. Too many schools are removing the career and technical education that is so valuable for our students. These classes not only give real world skills, but are often the reason many of my students stayed in to graduate.
Affordable and accessible health care is incredibly important to all Washingtonians. All residents should have access to affordable care. I support a move to a single-payer systems/ Medicare/ Healthcare for all. The state has funded a financial study that we need to look into and it is likely that we can see ways to finance it without raising taxes, and still saving money for the individual/ state/ and most businesses.
Homelessness is increasingly becoming a severe issue in Pierce County, and the local police estimate 80 percent of our homeless population are families, many of whom are my students and parents. I will work with lawmakers to make sure we increase affordable housing options across the state.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Our state faces many tough choices. As a teacher, I know our schools desperately need support to provide the best education to our children, wages have stagnated and we need more living wage jobs, small businesses need support to compete in the 21st century economy, and we must take action to protect our environment from the ravages of climate change. We need leaders who care about our needs. I am the candidate who will make sure every child gets a high quality education. I will fight for workers and help Washington grow. I am running for office to improve our state’s funding, increase the trades in schools, to fight for accountability and action on environmental policy, strengthen and expand our failing transportation infrastructure, and increase equitable access to quality healthcare, including mental health services. I look forward to fighting for our community's future.