Chief
04-19-2008, 05:26 AM
http://thecolumbian.com/
Saturday, April 19, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian Staff Writer
David Carrier, a Democrat and a part-time economics instructor at Washington State University Vancouver, will run for the 17th District Senate seat currently held by Sen. Don Benton.
Carrier, a 52-year-old political newcomer, will face Benton, a Republican, and Martin Hash, a Democrat, in the Aug. 19 top two primary, which will narrow the field to two candidates for the general election.
Carrier was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland. He lived in Africa from 1981 to 1984, working with UNICEF and the Mennonite Central Committee to design and supervise construction of wells and earthen dams for water supply and irrigation.
He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1995, and later worked as a senior economist with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, evaluating strategies to reduce or offset carbon emissions at coal-fired power plants.
A mountain-climber and kayaker, Carrier moved to Clark County in 2003, he said, to take advantage of “the mountains, the rivers.” He is a member of the board of the Southwest Washington Community Land Trust and the Jubilee Oregon Campaign for National Debt Review, which advocates for elimination of the national debt of the world’s poorest countries.
He lives in Cascade Park and has one son, who is in college.
Two recent events prompted his decision to seek elective office, Carrier said.
During the 2008 legislative session, he scheduled three meetings with Benton in Olympia to express his concerns about the absence of affordable housing and health care and the need to curb predatory lending. Twice, he said, Benton stood him up. When they finally met, “His answer to every question was to cut taxes,” Carrier said. “That was a turning point for me.”
The second catalyst was his experience helping to run the 17th District Democratic Caucus in February as a precinct committee officer. “People were so energized,” Carrier said. The caucus drew 90 people, he said, and participants reached unanimous consensus on five resolutions, including one calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
“I have a dream of bringing that kind of participation into the Legislature,” he said.
Carrier said he hopes to run a low-budget, nearly paper-free campaign, relying on a blog and a campaign Web site to inform voters of his positions on issues. “I’m a lot disturbed by the influence of money on politics,” he said. “I won’t be accepting any money from special interests,” at least in the primary.
Carrier said his approach to problem-solving is to try to find consensus.
“If you listen long enough to both sides of the issue, you can find middle ground.”
No word on a website for either of them yet...
Developing....
Saturday, April 19, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian Staff Writer
David Carrier, a Democrat and a part-time economics instructor at Washington State University Vancouver, will run for the 17th District Senate seat currently held by Sen. Don Benton.
Carrier, a 52-year-old political newcomer, will face Benton, a Republican, and Martin Hash, a Democrat, in the Aug. 19 top two primary, which will narrow the field to two candidates for the general election.
Carrier was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland. He lived in Africa from 1981 to 1984, working with UNICEF and the Mennonite Central Committee to design and supervise construction of wells and earthen dams for water supply and irrigation.
He earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1995, and later worked as a senior economist with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, evaluating strategies to reduce or offset carbon emissions at coal-fired power plants.
A mountain-climber and kayaker, Carrier moved to Clark County in 2003, he said, to take advantage of “the mountains, the rivers.” He is a member of the board of the Southwest Washington Community Land Trust and the Jubilee Oregon Campaign for National Debt Review, which advocates for elimination of the national debt of the world’s poorest countries.
He lives in Cascade Park and has one son, who is in college.
Two recent events prompted his decision to seek elective office, Carrier said.
During the 2008 legislative session, he scheduled three meetings with Benton in Olympia to express his concerns about the absence of affordable housing and health care and the need to curb predatory lending. Twice, he said, Benton stood him up. When they finally met, “His answer to every question was to cut taxes,” Carrier said. “That was a turning point for me.”
The second catalyst was his experience helping to run the 17th District Democratic Caucus in February as a precinct committee officer. “People were so energized,” Carrier said. The caucus drew 90 people, he said, and participants reached unanimous consensus on five resolutions, including one calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
“I have a dream of bringing that kind of participation into the Legislature,” he said.
Carrier said he hopes to run a low-budget, nearly paper-free campaign, relying on a blog and a campaign Web site to inform voters of his positions on issues. “I’m a lot disturbed by the influence of money on politics,” he said. “I won’t be accepting any money from special interests,” at least in the primary.
Carrier said his approach to problem-solving is to try to find consensus.
“If you listen long enough to both sides of the issue, you can find middle ground.”
No word on a website for either of them yet...
Developing....