Eight Vie for 16th District Seats in State House of Representatives

POSITION 1

Mary Ruth Edwards, Republican

Mary Ruth Edwards, 55, teaches first grade in the Prosser School District. She also serves on the Prosser City Council. She has a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in education.

Edwards says she grew up an “army brat,” and later lived in the Marysville/Everett area before moving to Prosser in 2005.

Edwards’ campaign motto is, “Lower taxes, less government, more freedom!”

“If we don’t raise taxes, or impose new ones, the good people of the 16th district will have more money in their pockets, and our small business owners could afford to hire more employees,” she says. “I have put it in writing. I will not vote to impose any new taxes or raise existing taxes. Not now, not ever”

This is Edwards’ third run for the Position 1 seat. She was defeated in 2012 and 2014 by Maureen Walsh, who is now running for 16th District State Senate seat.

In a statement she said, “I will work hard to protect our farms, and our water rights. Our taxes should not be funding the west-side agenda, but instead, used for our highway projects; our agenda. I staunchly support the Constitution, gun ownership, and private property rights.”

Rebecca Francik, Democrat

Rebecca Francik, 60, is a lifetime eastern Washington resident and has served on the Pasco City Council since 1994. She is a mother of seven and works as a librarian and teacher with the Pasco School District.

Francik has a bachelor of science in agronomy and master’s degrees in teaching and library science.

Francik says that in her first year in office she will “focus on fully funding K-12 education and ensuring our transportation systems continue to function by restoring the WA State Public Works Trust fund. The trust fund has helped many of our local communities fund local infrastructure needs with low interest loans.”

In a statement she said the most compelling reason to vote for her is her “decision to run as a Democrat. Our region has been without a voice in the majority Democratic caucus since the death of Bill Grant. Having someone who truly understands the needs of our region represent us on the west side where people are not familiar with rural 16th district needs is invaluable.” As a council member, she says she has “already demonstrated the ability to work well with our current Republican representatives.”

Bill Jenkin, Republican

Bill Jenkin, 60, is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments and also owner of Prosser Vineyard and Winery and Bill’s Tasting room. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management.

Jenkin is also a member of the Prosser School Board, currently serving as its president. He is also a long-time Rotarian, currently serving as District Governor. He is past president of the Prosser Chamber of Commerce.

“I will bring considerable experience and leadership to this position,” he says. “I have more than 30 years of experience in community service.”

In a statement, he said: “As a small business owner myself, I can say with some authority that we need to do more to support the job creators in our communities by reducing unnecessary regulations and reducing or eliminating the B&O tax.

“Our state needs to address our educational challenges without raising taxes. We need responsible leadership that can prioritize the budget to reflect our values, and return local control of our schools to our local voters.”

“We can, and should, do more to support our farmers and growers in Washington. We must secure and protect the water rights of our farmers and growers now and into the future.”

Allen Pomraning, Republican

Allen Pomraning, 61, is currently a member of the Walla Walla City Council and is serving a one-year term as mayor. He is a retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager and civil engineer. He has a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering.

“I’m about developing jobs in eastern Washington,” he says. “Funding exceptional education without a state income tax. Working together to fix our roads and water systems.”

In a statement, Pomraning laid out a list of priorities:

I will co-sponsor levy-leveling legislation to create a permanent sustainable funding stream for exceptional schools.

I will not support the one-percent state income tax which will be introduced next session.  

I will co-sponsor legislation to re-evaluate the governor’s carbon tax.  It is not a carbon tax; it is a business tax. This tax will threaten our Boise Paper Plant and its 600 jobs.  

I will co-sponsor legislation to restore the Public Works Trust Fund, a self-financed construction loan program used by smaller local governments.

I will co-sponsor legislation that facilitates body cams for police in Washington state.  Law enforcement has requested help.

Skyler Rude, Republican

Skyler Rude, 30, was born and raised in Walla Walla and attended Walla Walla Community College for two years. He has since worked as legislative assistant to Representative Maureen Walsh. He recently left that position to run for office.

“I’ve spent the last two sessions cultivating relationships and learning the intricacies of the legislative process to effectively advocate for us in Olympia,” he says.

In a statement he said: “The most pressing issues in my view are: Quality, outcomes-based education, healthy economy/well-paying jobs, and efficient delivery of state services. These issues can only be solved by reaching across the aisle and creating an atmosphere of collaboration in the legislature.

“As someone who has both private sector and legislative experience, I am uniquely qualified to hit the ground running as a legislator, avoiding the learning curve that often inhibits freshman members from being fully effective in their first term. I’ve worked diligently for our district as Rep. Walsh’s Legislative Assistant to learn the intricacies of the legislative process and build valuable relationships to be effective for us in Olympia. In addition, I will not have any other employment commitments for my first term. I feel I can best serve our district as a full time, hands-on legislator without other career distractions.”

POSITION 2

Gary Downing, Democrat

Gary Downing, 69, is retired from the Richland School District after 30 years in maintenance and supervision. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

“I have been involved in politics for over 40 years with, study, research, and campaigns, speaking out on issues to support the working class and their families, the poor, our seniors and veterans,” he says. “I speak out for better education, transportation, how to create jobs with benefits, and ways to help small business to grow and succeed.”

In a statement, Downing said, “With 30 years of service in the Richland School District, I was able to help teachers, students, and parents with issues and problems getting positive results.

“I started as a custodian in 1985 mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms and classrooms. Five years later, transferred to Richland High School and helped train new custodians, became the night shift lead man, later a school building foreman. I applied for maintenance and became a part of the preventative maintenance program, from which I retired.

“We have many issues of importance, however, I have placed four groups at the top of my list: fully funding education; corporate tax break reform; jobs, small business, and economy; homelessness, mental health, and poverty.

Ricardo Espinosa, Republican

Ricardo Espinosa is a Pasco resident and works for the State Department of Corrections. He did not respond to a request by The Times for information about his candidacy.

Terry Nealey, Republican

Incumbent Terry Nealey, 69, has represented the 16th District in the state legislature since 2010. He recently retired after working for nearly four decades as an attorney in Dayton. He served four terms as Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney.

He has a bachelor’s degree in business from Washington State University and a law degree from Gonzaga.

“As a lifelong eastern Washington resident, I am familiar with the issues our local citizens face on a day-to-day basis. Quality of life for the people I serve is very important to me,” he says.

Nealey currently serves as ranking Republican on the House Finance Committee, and also sits on the Technology and Economic Development committee.

On his website, Nealey says his top priorities are: “making sure people have jobs, providing a quality education for our children, keeping our tax rates low, ensuring fiscal responsibility with the state budget, allowing farmers to be productive without fighting excessive regulations, keeping our streets and neighborhoods safe, protecting our Snake River dams, and making good use of our local energy resources.”

“I have a strong family history of public service,” he says. “I am honored to serve as your state representative.”