Letters to the Editor Hannah Joy stands out in 17th District candidate interviews
I recently watched the editorial review board video at The Columbian interviewing three candidates for the House of Representatives: Hannah Joy, Dave Stuebe, and Terri Niles. After viewing the interviews, I am convinced that Hannah Joy is the best candidate for the position.
Hannah Joy stood out for several reasons. She spoke confidently and clearly, with her facts straight. Her experience was evident, and she approached each question with honesty, never attempting to dodge or evade the questions posed to her. Her transparency is exactly what we need in our representatives.
In contrast to Hannah, I did not feel that Dave Stuebe came well-informed or prepared. He frequently mentioned that he lacked solutions and was waiting to get to Olympia to be “in the room with the people who will fix things.” This attitude is concerning. It suggests that he is just waiting to be told what to do when he gets “there” and does not show proactive leadership. Olympia has not been effectively solving our problems, and it’s clear that Dave Stuebe’s waiting to hear what others have to say would not bring about the change we desperately need. I do appreciate that both Hannah and Dave are openly pro life.
Terri Niles also failed to impress me with her arguments, many of which lacked logic and factual backing. Her open opposition to the six initiatives, which represent a very important legislative change by the people, shows that she does not believe in empowering the public voice. That was very upsetting and concerning to me. As Hannah pointed out, the initiative process is an important part of our Washington constitution that “allows citizens to take a stand when they feel their government isn’t listening”.
Furthermore, both Dave and Terri frequently agreed with Hannah Joy’s statements during the interview, which only showed their lack of knowledge and stance on issues.
