I recently came across a TV commercial for the upcoming election which depicted state Senator Claudia Kauffman as the pro-small business candidate compared with her opponent, Joe Fain.

This shocked me because I know Joe Fain and he is been nothing but supportive of small business interests since the moment he announced his run for the state Senate. Just to make sure, I checked the issues section of Fain’s website. His positions align with small businesses and creating jobs.

He wants to prioritize state spending and reform the tax code to encourage business development. He has also been endorsed by several small business organizations including the National Federation of Independent Business and the Washington Restaurant Association.

When I go to Senator Kauffman’s website she has no issues section, which indicate her positions. The homepage of her site consists of listing her legislative accomplishments which got us into this mess.

Nowhere does the site address taxes or spending – surely two of the most important themes of this year’s election. Kauffman’s site does include a laundry list of typical liberal supporters who would benefit from higher taxes on businesses and more state spending.

Kauffman is absolutely allowed to believe in a bigger state government funded by higher taxes. All signs indicate this is true. However; it offends me that she is willing to entirely deceive the voters to win re-election. Our district and our state need Fain in Olympia next year to work through our current budget mess without raising taxes on the vitally important small businesses in our community.

What I know about Joe is he really listens, I know from personal experience, and with a small business, details are critical. I believe Joe understands the importance of this.

Ginger “Mama” Passarelli

Black Diamond