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Where would America be without her mavericks? Our founding fathers, pioneers, and great leaders made America the land we know and love today. Indeed, ‘maverick’ aptly describes many residents of the 19th district and as our Independence Day draws closer, I have grown increasingly grateful that our district has a maverick of its own representing us.
Representative Jim Walsh is not only an excellent legislator, he is the legislator who best represents us. The 19th Legislative District is filled with unique, strong-willed, and at times unorthodox Washingtonians — and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Like us, Jim Walsh is willing to stand up for community values, local control, and our Constitutional rights. His unwillingness to do what is easy, to play a docile role in politics like so many others, has made him a target of those who do.
Fighting for our local economy sometimes means opposing the agenda of remote corporations which would rather our local dollars flow to their pockets. While his opposition to these corporations and political agendas has labelled him a troublemaker, his work has always been on behalf of us — his constituents.
In the midst of our current economic distress, I want a representative who won’t toe the party line if passivity means sacrificing our communities. A representative who is ready and willing to listen to his constituents, explain policy, and tirelessly advocate on our behalf, is the Representative we need to lead us through the tough times we have ahead.
Representative Walsh’s record speaks for itself. He opposed comprehensive K-12 sexual education, defended the Second Amendment against Gov. Jay Inslee’s magazine restrictions, proposed legislation to reduce property taxes, fought for government transparency by opposing title-only bills, and challenged the Department of Natural Resource’s use of the Marbled Murrelet to interfere in forest management.
For our community and from our community, Jim Walsh cares; he has earned my vote.
Emily Torjusen
Kelso
