Ybarra will give area a say in Olympia

Voters in the 14th legislative district have an opportunity to send a much-needed two-party delegation to Olympia and Vickie Ybarra is ready, willing and certainly able to step up to the challenge.

We recommend that she be elected to the open Position 1 seat in the state House of Representatives being vacated by veteran lawmaker Mary Skinner, a Yakima Republican who did not seek re-election. A legislator's pay is $42,106 per year.

Ybarra is opposed by another Yakima Republican, Norm Johnson, a commendable candidate in his own right. But if Ybarra is elected, he can still do great service for the community by remaining an effective member of the Yakima City Council. Given the makeup of the council, Johnson is a needed moderate voice to maintain balance and his years as a council member and mayor in several Lower Valley communities is a plus on that panel.

Ybarra is a Democrat, regarded by some as an endangered political species in the 14th District. No one from that party has been elected from the district since Dave Lemmon of Selah in 1992 and Jay Inslee, then also of Selah, in 1988 and 1990.

Or, another way to look at that historical factoid is that it has been 16 years since the 14th District has had a voice in the House Democratic caucus -- which at the moment controls that chamber 63-35. While the numbers breakdown may change some in this election, control is sure to remain with the Democrats.

Meantime, all of the House members of the 13th, 14th and 15th legislative districts are Republicans and are thus excluded from majority-party agenda-setting in the chamber.

Couple that GOP scenario in the House with the fact that all three senators from those districts are also Republican and our region is now 0-9 in majority-caucus representation -- and decision-making, since Democrats presently control the Senate 32-17.

In Vickie Ybarra, we see a bright, articulate candidate who is well suited to change that imbalance.

She believably pitches herself as moderate and pragmatic, someone who will bring a much-needed Central Washington perspective to the majority-party deliberations now dominated by liberal Puget Sound Democrats.

But the issue is much more than just majority-party representation. During an interview with the editorial board, we were impressed by her reasoned and realistic approach to important issues facing the district and state. At a time when the state faces severe budget woes and gloom-and-doom talk about $3 billion-plus deficits, Ybarra is critical of her own party for being "irresponsible" in letting the crunch develop.

If elected, she thinks the 2009-11 state budget that will be before lawmakers in January should be "scrubbed line by line" and identified programs delayed if necessary.

Ybarra's background is a good fit, especially if you figure that two of the top issues (after the budget deficit) facing lawmakers are a) health care, and b) education.

She is:

a) A mother and registered nurse and serves as director of planning and development for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic. She also holds a spot on the governor-appointed state Interagency Council on Health Disparities, and

b) the well-regarded president of the Yakima School Board. That experience would be invaluable in legislative deliberations on issues facing public education -- from funding to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Ybarra is also big on economic development for the area. The first bill she wants to introduce would allow county officials to keep a portion of the sales tax that currently goes to Olympia and use it to support local economic development in health-related industries.

Johnson's professional experience is somewhat similar when measured against health care and education. His background in municipal government, as an educator and a hospital trustee is impressive.

That takes us back to the two-party argument. In an earlier candidate forum, Ybarra summed up why a two-party delegation to Olympia is important to the area these days. The Democratic majority in the Legislature was criticized for eliminating funding from an anti-gang bill pushed by Republican state Rep. Charles Ross of Naches.

"There was no one in that caucus to say, 'No, we need that money in the Yakima Valley,'" she said. "There was not someone at that table to advocate for us."

Good point. And one of several good reasons to send this talented woman to Olympia to pursue the best interests of the 14th District.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins, Bill Lee and Karen Troianello.

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