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4th District legislative candidate Q-and-A

Incumbent Matt Shea (left) is running against challenger Josh Arritola (right) for state representative, legislative district 4, position 2. (Candidate courtesy)

Legislative candidates for the state House Position 2 in the 4th Legislative District were allowed 50 words to respond to each of five questions.

The incumbent in the race, state Rep. Matt Shea, did not respond to repeated requests to participate in this candidate Q&A.

1. What is your top priority and how specifically would you achieve your top priority?

Josh Arritola: My top priority is to complete the North Spokane Corridor (NSC).  The completion of the NSC would create 10,000 sustainable jobs and have a $450.8 million return on investment while only costing $750 million to complete it.  We would make every single dime back in less than two years.   2. The state Supreme Court recently held the Legislature in contempt for not making enough progress in fully funding public education. How should the Legislature react to this unanimous ruling?

Arritola: The Legislature needs to change the laws, pulling the court’s authority to issue such rulings. Additionally, the Legislature needs to take a hard look at endless waste in the DOT and DSHS. We cannot raise taxes while wasting $3 billion per budget in the DOT and $3 billion in DSHS.  

3. The Legislature failed once again to pass a long-negotiated, multibillion-dollar transportation package. How would you ensure the Spokane-area gets the funding it wants for popular projects such as the North Spokane Corridor?

Arritola: We need a representative who isn’t distracted by issues outside the state. To some, maybe those issues are important, but we need someone who will focus on our issues and represent us well. Unlike Matt Shea, I will go to the transportation meetings and participate in guiding the state’s priorities.  

4. The effective tax rate for legal, recreational marijuana is 45 percent. Is this too high? Too low? How would you change it? Should the Legislature allow for local value-added sales tax on marijuana?

Arritola: I support local governments being able to set policy and taxes on these businesses. Local control leads to local innovation.  

5. Should the state’s two-party consent rules pertain to body cameras worn by police? Why?

Arritola: No. Body cameras reduce both violence against officers and violence against citizens. These cameras protect the police from false allegations and the citizens from excessive force.