Candidate Profile: Ingrid Anderson For District 5

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.

Ingrid Anderson, a Snoqualmie Valley resident is running for District 5 State Senator.

Age: 41
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: I am raising my own family next door to the house where I grew up, where my parents Ed and Kristine still live.
Occupation: RN, Overlake Hospital; 13 years in the ER, Mental Health Unit, and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.
Previous elected experience: N/A
Family members in government: No, and I am a nurse and first-time candidate.
Campaign website: https://www.ingridforstatesena...

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

Recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is the most pressing issue facing our state. It is going to take real, community-focused leadership to help us weather this and come out stronger.
As a nurse, I know firsthand how devastating the COVID-19 crisis is for the personal and financial health of our communities, healthcare workers, and local businesses. We must use this challenge to reevaluate our healthcare system and pandemic preparedness. When elected, I will be the only nurse in the State Senate. That is an important perspective to address gaps in our state’s COVID response and ensure our state comes through the pandemic as quickly, but as safely as possible.
And as a mom, I know how frustrating it is for kids to be stuck at home without a sense of when schools will be back open. I’ll work to make sure we have a safe plan to get kids back in schools safely, ensure all kids have access to technology and resources so they don’t fall behind, and work to expand childcare and improve affordability for all families who need it in the meantime.
Our small businesses and working families need a Senator they can count on to show up for them and their needs. I am not accepting corporate contributions so that when I’m elected I can put their priorities first -- investing in our small businesses, rebuilding our infrastructure, and creating new opportunities and jobs for students and workers.

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

I’m not a politician. As a nurse, I went to Olympia to meet with my legislators about patient safety standards including rest breaks for nurses and other care providers. Not only did Senator Mullet not take my concerns on behalf of my patients and colleagues seriously, he voted against this commonsense solution by voting it down in committee in 2018 and voted for amendment 724 in 2019 which would have gutted the bill.
Once I started looking more into Senator Mullet’s record, I realized that he has time and again sided with the banks, big businesses, and corporate special interests who fund his campaign, voting against addressing wage discrimination for women in the workplace, our state’s long-term care act to help our seniors, and millions of dollars in funding for special education, teacher salaries, school safety, and mental health programs.
We need and deserve leadership focused on our values and the issues facing our communities -- not special interests. Unlike my opponent, I’m not accepting corporate contributions to my campaign. I’m willing to challenge pharmaceutical and insurance companies to fight for more affordable, accessible healthcare. I’m willing to take on big oil and other polluters to protect clean air and water. And I’ll take on the corporate tax loopholes that my opponent has worked to implement and maintain, which leave working- and middle-class families shouldering the brunt of our state’s taxes.

Our community deserves a Senator they can trust to fight for them during this time of economic uncertainty. It’s time for a new vision to tackle the challenges we face.

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

I’m proud to have called this community home for more than three decades, serving as a nurse and active member of the community and advocating for improved healthcare policy in Olympia to improve outcomes for everyone. I know our values and our priorities and will combine that knowledge with my community leadership to ensure local representation that puts our health, schools, environment, and families first.

In addition to my advocacy on behalf of patients and caregivers in Olympia, I have been active as a mentor for new nurses, a volunteer with the North Bend Educational and Cultural Association, and have self-funded scholarships for local youth. I am a member of 100 Women Who Care of the Greater Snoqualmie Valley, a member and financial supporter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Eastside, and have helped organize and donate clothing and food for people experiencing homelessness in our community.

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

We need community-focused leadership with an understanding of the hardships facing local small businesses and families-- and places those critical issues over the needs of large businesses and corporate special interests.

We know from the last several months that economic recovery is directly related to reducing the spread of infection. When people feel confident that they can shop, dine, and gather in public spaces without fear, they are eager to do so, and will contribute to a stronger recovery. This means we must continue vigilance with masking and distancing, and the common sense actions we’re taking that make Washington once of the safest states in the country right now.

From there, we need to offer direct support to small businesses at risk of closing, and protect essential workers on the frontlines of the virus. My opponent has voted against strengthening government support for small businesses owned by people of color and women – I believe that is completely the wrong approach. Income inequality and wealth disparity was already growing before COVID-19 and it will take real, principled leadership committed to working families to create change.

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

Our current criminal justice system disproportionately hurts communities of color, and contributes to inequalities and systemic disenfranchisement. There are a number of policies the legislature should adopt to address these unfair, disproportionate outcomes. As a mental health nurse, I know we need more resources to address mental and behavioral health, and additional options to help people in crisis rather than sending in police.

I believe the Legislature can take additional action by banning chokeholds, requiring state collection and publication of police use of force data, strengthening bias training, further reforming sentencing guidelines, and improved funding for mental and behavioral health options. I do not support defunding the police.

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

My son has very severe asthma and the often unseen pollution in our air has very real impacts in our home and on my son’s health. For my son, and for my patients struggling with the impacts of pollution, this is very personal to me.

Environmental advocates agree – one of the most important things we can do to take on climate change is to pass a clean fuel standard that makes our vehicles more efficient, improves our air quality, and reduces emissions coming from transportation. For two years in a row, that legislation has passed the House and stalled in the State Senate. Unlike my opponent, I’m willing to fight for this policy, so that we are doing all we can to protect our planet for future generations.

I’m proud to be endorsed by Governor Inslee and the Washington Conservation Voters and Sierra Club, who have supported my opponent in past campaigns, because they know I am strongly committed to action on this issue and recognize the important intersection between taking on pollution, improving health outcomes, and creating new, good-paying jobs.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Healthcare – My relationship with the healthcare system doesn’t start with Hospital CEOs and end with pharmaceutical lobbyists – instead, my priorities for reform are shaped by my experience and that of my patients and fellow healthcare workers. We need a nurse in office who understands the system, is committed to patient care and wellbeing, and will take tangible steps to bring down costs, increase funding for mental and behavioral health services, and address longstanding issues in our system.

Affordability – I’m so grateful to have called the Snoqualmie Valley home for nearly three decades. This is a wonderful community and an excellent place to raise a family, but too many neighbors are being pushed out by rising housing costs and property taxes.

We have to reduce the weight of property taxes that hit seniors, working families, and those on a fixed income the hardest. My opponent has vocally opposed many measures of progressive, alternative revenue – including a tax on giant banks like his former employer. When I’m in the Senate, I will work to close corporate loopholes and create a more equitable tax system for Washingtonians.

Education – Strengthening our K-12 system starts by listening to our educators and investing in our students, so that our teachers and classrooms have needed resources and students receive the support they need to succeed. We need to make sure that all of our schools are fully funded, and that students have equitable access – regardless of their zip code or any other factor – to modern educational tools like STEAM learning, along with class sizes that ensure needed individualized attention.

In light of the coronavirus, and a resulting school year – and system – that has been disrupted for the foreseeable future, we need legislators willing to think innovatively to help students learn and thrive in this new “learn from home” environment. My priority will always be putting our kids’ futures first – something that requires a collaborative spirit, not a go-it-alone approach.

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

I have lived in Snoqualmie Valley for nearly 30 years. I have experience as a nurse and mother advocating for this community. As a nurse in Overlake’s psychiatric department and emergency department, I have worked with some of our most vulnerable neighbors, I served as a sexual assault nurse examiner for ten years, and I am currently completing a master’s degree at Gonzaga to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

I am not a politician, but our families and communities deserve better. I would be honored to represent you in Olympia. Please feel free to contact me anytime by phone or email -- I’d love to hear from you!