Chief
06-08-2008, 07:23 AM
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/06/06082008_Dunn-faces-challenges-from-within-outside-party.cfm
Sunday, June 08, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer
Republican Joseph James is running for the Legislature out of a converted gas station on St. Johns Boulevard filled with his oversized blue-and-yellow campaign signs.
Tim Probst’s campaign operates out of a nondescript office suite he shares with several other Democratic candidates in a building just off Interstate 205 near Gher Road.
As usual, Rep. Jim Dunn will be running his campaign out of his house and car.
With the filing deadline past, all three will compete for the votes of 17th District residents between now and the Aug. 19 top two primary. The two candidates who survive, regardless of party, will face each other in the Nov. 4 general election.
It’s one of a handful of Clark County races in which the primary will winnow the field.
The 17th is a wild card. Voters there defied expectations in 2006 when they picked maverick Pat Campbell over Jack Burkman, the state Democratic Party’s choice, in the primary, then re-elected Republican Dunn by a slim margin in November.
Dunn, 65, was stripped of his legislative committee assignments and travel reimbursement privileges for the 2008 session by House Republican leaders after he made an offensive remark to a female legislative staff member at a social gathering in Kennewick in November. Dunn acknowledged at the time that the comment was inappropriate but said the punishment was disproportionate.
He didn’t decide to run for another term until mid-April.
He says he’s not worried that he faces primary opposition from within his own party — in fact, he says, he welcomes it.
“I was looking for someone to run against me in the primary,” he said. “If you look at election history, the party that has a primary race gets more voters to turn out in the general election. “
As of May 7, James was leading in fundraising with about $50,000 in cash contributions, mostly from small donors, and $30,000 in in-kind contributions. Those include the $3,000 a month he donates to his campaign for the use of the converted gas station and the $700 a month he lists as a contribution for the use of a big pickup truck.
“That truck has become very valuable,” James said. “We drive it all over the 17th district.”
He’s been spending the money as fast as he raises it. According to his most recent report to the Public Disclosure Commission, his campaign had just $3,000 on hand.
Probst has raised about $40,000.
Dunn reports no fundraising activity in the current election cycle. He has $1,300 in unspent funds carried over from the 2006 campaign. But he says he’s not worried about raising campaign cash, either.
“Most of the money you need to spend is on buying signs and getting name recognition,” he said. “I have the signs and I have the name recognition.”
Clear choices
Dunn has had a long run in the Legislature. He served from 1996 through 2002, lost to Deb Wallace, a Democrat, in 2002, and regained his seat in 2004.
This year’s race presents clear options for voters in the 17th if they choose to replace him.
James, 27, got his college degrees from a mail-order university; Probst, 37, graduated from the University of Notre Dame.
James started his own business at 20; Probst worked in state government in Illinois and for the past nine years has directed a statewide network in Washington that works to prevent high school dropouts and train students for 21st century jobs.
James moved from his home state of Utah to Clark County in 2003 hoping to expand the mail-order clothing business he’d launched in Provo and start a dog boarding business here. He bought five acres in Stevenson and established the Dog Adventure Camp, a place where dogs can run free while their owners go windsurfing on the Columbia River or play golf at Skamania Lodge.
An observant Mormon, he has been an active fundraiser and volunteer for the Shriners Hospital in Portland, which provides health care for uninsured children. In the process, he has built a network of friends, many of them Oregon residents, who have donated to his campaign.
James has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Almeda University, an unaccredited mail-order college. He says the decision to go that route was practical: “It allowed me to start these two businesses while earning my degree and be the successful entrepreneur that I am today. “
When he decided last year to run for the Legislature, James initially filed in the 49th District, a Democratic stronghold. But advisers urged him to run in the 17th instead. He moved from the 49th to the 17th last fall to establish the required one year’s residency.
Initially James filed to run against Wallace. But he said that after Dunn was sanctioned by his caucus, party members urged him to take on the incumbent.
“That’s when people started approaching me, saying, ‘Why aren’t you running against Jim Dunn instead of Deb Wallace? We have to clean our own house first.’”
He says he’s rung 2,500 doorbells in the 17th. If there’s a dog in the house, that breaks the ice. (“I can teach any dog not to jump, bark or pull on the leash in 20 minutes,” James claims).
Moving to politics, he’ll ask, “Tell me the most important issue to you in one minute or less.” The answer, overwhelmingly, is the economy, he said. “When I get elected, I’ll be able to help people by reducing taxes.”
James married in May and honeymooned with his bride at Niagara Falls, taking a brief vacation from his campaign.
He considers state Sen. Don Benton his mentor. Although the Vancouver Republican has not formally endorsed him, James said Benton has been showing him the ropes.
James followed Benton around during the one-day special session last Nov. 29, during which the Legislature reinstated the 1 percent limit on property tax increases. He shows off a photo of himself with Benton that day on the Senate floor.
“He and I are already making plans for what we want to do in the next session,” James said. “He feels I’m a breath of fresh air.”
Education, middle class
State Rep. Deb Wallace was on her way to a legislative strategy session for House Democrats Friday when she stopped off for a quick stand-up meeting with legislative candidate Tim Probst. Wallace wanted information about how Washington businesses are helping expose high schools to the workplace.
Probst offered her several examples: partnerships, job shadows, summer camps for students interested in careers in the biosciences. “If you put the pieces together for high school students, that’s better than just saying, ‘Here are the pieces’ ” he said.
Wallace, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, depends on Probst for this kind of background information. “The preparation we do now during the interim helps us deliver during the long session,” she said. “Tim has been really helpful with work force issues.”
If he’s elected, Wallace would like to see him get appointed to the House Education Committee, which has no members from Southwest Washington.
Probst directs the Washington Workforce Association, an organization created by Congress that works with businesses, labor groups and schools and colleges to achieve a widely shared goal: Preparing today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow. The state’s 12 local workforce councils help 6,000 students annually get into college or apprenticeships and keep another 1,100 students from dropping out of high school.
“This is one place where business and labor see things the same way,” Probst said.
Though his name may not be a household word, Probst has been endorsed by virtually every Democratic office-holder in Clark County and has raised about $40,000 since last fall.
Probst first considered running for the Legislature in 2005, but with a demanding job and a family that includes four young children, he decided to support Burkman instead.
This year, he said, the time was right. He’s spending 25 to 30 hours a week campaigning door to door, mainly evenings and weekends. “I really like doorbelling because it grounds you,” he said. “I really want to know my district. Basically, I’m not sleeping much.”
A self-described moderate, Probst says his issues are “education and the middle class.“ With the economy struggling, “I’m against raising taxes,” he said, “because people are already having to tighten their belts.”
Stimulus checks from the federal government won’t change that, he said. One thing that will help, he said, is the development, over time, of a highly trained work force.
Probst said he’s well aware that the state of Washington may face a $2 billion budget shortfall in 2009. As a budget analyst for the state of Illinois in the mid-1990s, he said, he found an upside to that situation.
“When you have less revenue, there’s more creativity to restructure and find efficiencies. You can find ways to get more bang for the buck.”
Probst said he has no desire to attack Dunn directly. But he noted that in 2007, Dunn was the only lawmaker to vote against a college affordability bill and one of only four to oppose a dropout prevention measure.
“I’m against divisive politics,” he said. “That’s one reason I’m running. I believe in being effective and getting results. Neither of the other candidates can point to a record of getting results.”
Kathie Durbin covers politics and the Legislature. Call her at 360-735-4523 or e-mail kathie.durbin@columbian.com.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer
Republican Joseph James is running for the Legislature out of a converted gas station on St. Johns Boulevard filled with his oversized blue-and-yellow campaign signs.
Tim Probst’s campaign operates out of a nondescript office suite he shares with several other Democratic candidates in a building just off Interstate 205 near Gher Road.
As usual, Rep. Jim Dunn will be running his campaign out of his house and car.
With the filing deadline past, all three will compete for the votes of 17th District residents between now and the Aug. 19 top two primary. The two candidates who survive, regardless of party, will face each other in the Nov. 4 general election.
It’s one of a handful of Clark County races in which the primary will winnow the field.
The 17th is a wild card. Voters there defied expectations in 2006 when they picked maverick Pat Campbell over Jack Burkman, the state Democratic Party’s choice, in the primary, then re-elected Republican Dunn by a slim margin in November.
Dunn, 65, was stripped of his legislative committee assignments and travel reimbursement privileges for the 2008 session by House Republican leaders after he made an offensive remark to a female legislative staff member at a social gathering in Kennewick in November. Dunn acknowledged at the time that the comment was inappropriate but said the punishment was disproportionate.
He didn’t decide to run for another term until mid-April.
He says he’s not worried that he faces primary opposition from within his own party — in fact, he says, he welcomes it.
“I was looking for someone to run against me in the primary,” he said. “If you look at election history, the party that has a primary race gets more voters to turn out in the general election. “
As of May 7, James was leading in fundraising with about $50,000 in cash contributions, mostly from small donors, and $30,000 in in-kind contributions. Those include the $3,000 a month he donates to his campaign for the use of the converted gas station and the $700 a month he lists as a contribution for the use of a big pickup truck.
“That truck has become very valuable,” James said. “We drive it all over the 17th district.”
He’s been spending the money as fast as he raises it. According to his most recent report to the Public Disclosure Commission, his campaign had just $3,000 on hand.
Probst has raised about $40,000.
Dunn reports no fundraising activity in the current election cycle. He has $1,300 in unspent funds carried over from the 2006 campaign. But he says he’s not worried about raising campaign cash, either.
“Most of the money you need to spend is on buying signs and getting name recognition,” he said. “I have the signs and I have the name recognition.”
Clear choices
Dunn has had a long run in the Legislature. He served from 1996 through 2002, lost to Deb Wallace, a Democrat, in 2002, and regained his seat in 2004.
This year’s race presents clear options for voters in the 17th if they choose to replace him.
James, 27, got his college degrees from a mail-order university; Probst, 37, graduated from the University of Notre Dame.
James started his own business at 20; Probst worked in state government in Illinois and for the past nine years has directed a statewide network in Washington that works to prevent high school dropouts and train students for 21st century jobs.
James moved from his home state of Utah to Clark County in 2003 hoping to expand the mail-order clothing business he’d launched in Provo and start a dog boarding business here. He bought five acres in Stevenson and established the Dog Adventure Camp, a place where dogs can run free while their owners go windsurfing on the Columbia River or play golf at Skamania Lodge.
An observant Mormon, he has been an active fundraiser and volunteer for the Shriners Hospital in Portland, which provides health care for uninsured children. In the process, he has built a network of friends, many of them Oregon residents, who have donated to his campaign.
James has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Almeda University, an unaccredited mail-order college. He says the decision to go that route was practical: “It allowed me to start these two businesses while earning my degree and be the successful entrepreneur that I am today. “
When he decided last year to run for the Legislature, James initially filed in the 49th District, a Democratic stronghold. But advisers urged him to run in the 17th instead. He moved from the 49th to the 17th last fall to establish the required one year’s residency.
Initially James filed to run against Wallace. But he said that after Dunn was sanctioned by his caucus, party members urged him to take on the incumbent.
“That’s when people started approaching me, saying, ‘Why aren’t you running against Jim Dunn instead of Deb Wallace? We have to clean our own house first.’”
He says he’s rung 2,500 doorbells in the 17th. If there’s a dog in the house, that breaks the ice. (“I can teach any dog not to jump, bark or pull on the leash in 20 minutes,” James claims).
Moving to politics, he’ll ask, “Tell me the most important issue to you in one minute or less.” The answer, overwhelmingly, is the economy, he said. “When I get elected, I’ll be able to help people by reducing taxes.”
James married in May and honeymooned with his bride at Niagara Falls, taking a brief vacation from his campaign.
He considers state Sen. Don Benton his mentor. Although the Vancouver Republican has not formally endorsed him, James said Benton has been showing him the ropes.
James followed Benton around during the one-day special session last Nov. 29, during which the Legislature reinstated the 1 percent limit on property tax increases. He shows off a photo of himself with Benton that day on the Senate floor.
“He and I are already making plans for what we want to do in the next session,” James said. “He feels I’m a breath of fresh air.”
Education, middle class
State Rep. Deb Wallace was on her way to a legislative strategy session for House Democrats Friday when she stopped off for a quick stand-up meeting with legislative candidate Tim Probst. Wallace wanted information about how Washington businesses are helping expose high schools to the workplace.
Probst offered her several examples: partnerships, job shadows, summer camps for students interested in careers in the biosciences. “If you put the pieces together for high school students, that’s better than just saying, ‘Here are the pieces’ ” he said.
Wallace, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, depends on Probst for this kind of background information. “The preparation we do now during the interim helps us deliver during the long session,” she said. “Tim has been really helpful with work force issues.”
If he’s elected, Wallace would like to see him get appointed to the House Education Committee, which has no members from Southwest Washington.
Probst directs the Washington Workforce Association, an organization created by Congress that works with businesses, labor groups and schools and colleges to achieve a widely shared goal: Preparing today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow. The state’s 12 local workforce councils help 6,000 students annually get into college or apprenticeships and keep another 1,100 students from dropping out of high school.
“This is one place where business and labor see things the same way,” Probst said.
Though his name may not be a household word, Probst has been endorsed by virtually every Democratic office-holder in Clark County and has raised about $40,000 since last fall.
Probst first considered running for the Legislature in 2005, but with a demanding job and a family that includes four young children, he decided to support Burkman instead.
This year, he said, the time was right. He’s spending 25 to 30 hours a week campaigning door to door, mainly evenings and weekends. “I really like doorbelling because it grounds you,” he said. “I really want to know my district. Basically, I’m not sleeping much.”
A self-described moderate, Probst says his issues are “education and the middle class.“ With the economy struggling, “I’m against raising taxes,” he said, “because people are already having to tighten their belts.”
Stimulus checks from the federal government won’t change that, he said. One thing that will help, he said, is the development, over time, of a highly trained work force.
Probst said he’s well aware that the state of Washington may face a $2 billion budget shortfall in 2009. As a budget analyst for the state of Illinois in the mid-1990s, he said, he found an upside to that situation.
“When you have less revenue, there’s more creativity to restructure and find efficiencies. You can find ways to get more bang for the buck.”
Probst said he has no desire to attack Dunn directly. But he noted that in 2007, Dunn was the only lawmaker to vote against a college affordability bill and one of only four to oppose a dropout prevention measure.
“I’m against divisive politics,” he said. “That’s one reason I’m running. I believe in being effective and getting results. Neither of the other candidates can point to a record of getting results.”
Kathie Durbin covers politics and the Legislature. Call her at 360-735-4523 or e-mail kathie.durbin@columbian.com.