Thursday, March 28, 2024

Adrianne Moore, House District 12 candidate, wants your vote

Posted
WINTHROP - Adrianne Moore wants your vote for representative in the 12th District, Position 1​. Moore has named her campaign “Voice of the 12th” because, “This has to be bigger than one person or one election, it has to be about engaging working people’s voices each and every day in the decisions that impact us most, to build the future we want.” She’s running as a Democrat against GOP incumbent Keith Goehner.
The aspiring elected leader spoke exclusively to NCW Media at the end of March to explain what she has envisioned for the people she seeks to serve. Here is the Q&A:
NCW Media: What is your most important subject to tackle if you get elected?
Adrianne Moore: I know the  vast majority of people across our region believe that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like, if you work hard, you should be able to support your family. And yet, across my community, I know many hard-working families who can’t get ahead. If we continue on our current  path, life for people in rural Washington is only going to get harder -- our children will struggle just to live a good, stable life. I’m running to represent you for the same reason my great-great-grandparents came to this beautiful, rugged land: because I want a home my children, and yours, can come back to and prosper.
We need to come together for the things that matter most to all of us. For instance, together, we can address our housing crisis so our small towns and cities don’t begin to look like Seattle. Across NCW, the high cost of housing and the  limited number of available rentals have created a housing crisis. Low and middle-income families are being priced out of their homes, neighborhoods, and schools. We can address outdated and prohibitive regulations that make it challenging to build affordable housing and we can provide viable housing solutions so local families can stay in their home towns and jobs, schools, and community. We can incentivize permanent affordable rentals; develop land trust or other homeowner models so we can recruit and keep teachers, nurses, and tradespeople; and ensure that every one of our elders has safe, stable, supportive housing.
NCW Media: Affordable housing, tourism, agriculture, water resources and infrastructure are some of the main issues in the 12th District. Can you address these topics?
Moore: As jobs in forestry, logging, government, and small agriculture continue to decline, many people struggle to find work that pays a living wage. The work that’s available is often seasonal and low-paying, and doesn’t offer the benefits or stability that households need. It’s hard to find childcare when your waitressing shifts start at 5 p.m. and it’s hard to keep your health insurance when you’re laid off three months of the year. Washington is at the forefront of innovation and technology. We need to build sustainable ways to support the industries we do have in tourism, agriculture, and healthcare. Supporting these industries means we support working people and families. 
We are also primed to bring new opportunities to our region, from fire prevention efforts in forestry to sustainable manufacturing and technology. There will be a response in Olympia to climate change and we need to make sure our voices are heard. Our elected representatives should work to advocate for our region and ensure economic investments reflect the needs of those who will be most impacted: the working people and families of rural and small town Washington.
NCW Media: Tell our readers about your life, family and life experiences that make you ready to represent the 12th District. 
Moore: My family rooted me in the values of our rural community. My mother and step-father are ministers in Wenatchee, and my father is a carpenter.
I grew up working class in a family with five kids on a farm in Eastern Washington and in small towns across the state. I became a young mom at twenty and worked my way through college at Western Washington University as a night manager for a shelter serving women and children escaping domestic violence. The families at the shelter were no different than families I’d known my whole life: they were people who showed up with grit, determination, and generosity in the face of hardship.
I’ve committed my entire career, including more than a decade of work in Okanogan County, to ensuring all families have a chance to build a better life for themselves. When I returned to Eastern Washington with my small family, I took a position as the sole staff member of a small nonprofit. For more than 12 years, I helped it become what it is today: a community leader and critical resource for our neighbors seeking social and health services. We partnered with schools, health agencies, government, businesses, nonprofits, and churches so our neighbors had support when they needed it most.
After catastrophic wildfires in 2014 burned down hundreds of houses across Okanogan County and put many households and small businesses on the brink of financial crisis, I worked with people across the region, and across political and social divides, to stand up the long-term recovery effort. I led the two-year disaster case management program that oversaw the distribution of millions of dollars in direct financial assistance, donations, and volunteer time, and a skilled staff providing one-on-one support to families who lost their homes and livelihoods. In many disasters, these programs are highly controversial, but our recovery effort, which responded to the largest wildfire in Washington State history, was named by state and community leaders as a model for success. It united our rural community in unprecedented ways to ensure we not only recovered, but emerged more resilient than before the fires began.
NCW Media: Are you in favor of allowing marijuana growers to do so?
Moore: I’m running to support the future of working people and families in North Central Washington. Policies regarding the growth and distribution of marijuana, particularly in rural areas, must be focused on the wellbeing of communities. We need sensible policies that protect families and young children, while allowing for the ethical development of an industry that could provide well-paying jobs for working people and families.
NCW Media: What about taxes on gasoline, hotels, etc. Any thoughts?
Moore: Washington’s tax system is upside down.The poorest people in our communities, those in the bottom 20 percent of income earners, pay 17.8 percent of their wages in local and state taxes, while the wealthiest Washingtonians pay roughly 1-3 percent. We rely heavily on high sales, property, and business taxes, which hurts working families and leaves critical public services like schools and healthcare underfunded. It’s time for our government to bet on our own people, our own communities, and our own businesses. Let’s invest in and protect local small businesses, farmers, teachers, tradespeople and cooperatives. Instead of huge tax breaks for corporations like Amazon, let’s ensure we all pay a fair share in taxes. We can build a tax system that works for working people and rural Washington as a whole.
NCW Media: What else would you like to add?:
Moore: If we continue on our current  path, life for people in rural Washington is only going to get harder: our children will struggle just to live a good, stable life. I’m running to represent our 12th District for the same reason my great-great-grandparents came to this beautiful, rugged land: because I want a home my children, and yours, can come back to and prosper. The State House and Senate both have a Democratic majority. That means Democrats make the vast majority of decisions on the budget and legislation in a Democrats-only “back room.” We can’t expect Democrats from the west side to advocate for the unique needs of rural working people and families, businesses and land in NCW. Now more than ever, we need a seat at the decision-making table.
I believe the things we’re working for -- an economy that works for working families -- is more important than ever. In the coming months and years, many families in our rural community are going to struggle in unprecedented ways. I struggle with the decision of whether or not I could be a mother, work full time at a job I’m grateful to still have, and launch the kind of campaign our community deserves. I think if it was just about me, I would have said it was all too much, but this campaign isn’t for me, it’s for my two kids, and one for the hundreds of children and families I’ve worked with over the years who’ll need us now more than ever.
My opponent, current 12th District State Rep. Keith Goehner (R-Dryden), has done nothing to ease the burden or level the playing field.
For more information on Moore’s campaign, visit voiceofthe12th.com. Follow her on Facebook or Instagram.


 

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here