Kitsap Association of Realtors President Frank Mahaffay recently announced he will run for the 23rd District State House seat being vacated by Phil Rockefeller (D -Bainbridge Island). Rockefeller is seeking the seat being vacated by State Senator Betti Sheldon (D-Bremerton).

Mahaffay, a longtime resident of Central Kitsap, is the second Republican to enter the race in the 23rd, which includes North Kitsap and parts of Silverdale and Bremerton. He will face Dr. Paulette DeGard, who announced for the position several weeks ago, in the Republican primary.

“The people of our district understand that state government is going the wrong direction,” says Mahaffay. “Time and time again, the voters of our state have passed initiatives, only to have the governor and state legislature undo the will of the voters,” said Mahaffay voter, citing approval of initiatives capping property taxes and pay raises for teachers among others that were repealed, suspended, or modified by the legislature.

Mahaffay’s platform includes the following:

Encouraging a vibrant business climate: “Washington State consistently falls behind other states in economic development because of over-reaching regulations. Kitsap County is in desperate need of living-wage jobs,” he said, pledging to work tirelessly to help restrict regulations so exisitng businesses can expand and new businesses can be recruited to Washington.

Revitalizing public schools: “The voters of our state passed an initiative to increase the salaries of our educators. I will vote to restore the intent of that initiative,” Mahaffey pledged, noting the state must recruit the best teachers, reduce class size, and provide new methods of funding for operations and school construction.

Tort Reform: “The rising cost of insurance has driven many of our medical physicians to other states. We must act immediately to curb litigation and implement reasonable caps on malpractice liability,” he urged. “Only then will we be able to stop the increasing migration of medical professional to other states.”

Taxation: “When combining the local, state, and federal tax burden, Washington state residents pay a higher percentage of their gross income than their counterparts in 48 other states, ”Mahaffey stated, citing an MSNBC Survey, released on March 4. “I will work to reduce the burden on taxpayers by expanding the tax base through job growth, implementing independent state audits to procure efficiencies, and reprioritizing government so that essential services take priority over pork-barrel projects.”

Reducing traffic congestion: “The state transportation budget has increased dramatically, yet road projects in the 23rd district have been severely neglected,” he noted, and said that as a result, traffic congestion has dramatically increased in recent years. “We need a legislator who will work to reduce traffic congestion as quickly and inexpensively as possible. I will work to establish reasonable priorities and then make sure our hard-earned tax dollars are used wisely to improve our highways.”

Restoring funding for ferries: “The state has failed to fulfill its obligation to provide ferry service to Kitsap County. Our ferries are our highways. We need legislators who will work on both sides of the aisle to restore full funding to the ferry system,” he said.

Land Use: “The state’s Growth Management Act has been one of the major detriments to the creation of affordable housing and family-wage jobs in the 23rd district,” Mahaffey stressed, pledging to work to revise the GMA to allow citizens to make land use decisions at the local level and decide how to accommodate growth in their communities.

Mahaffay’s past community involvement includes service as Chairman of the Central Kitsap School District General Advisory Council in addition to his service within the Realtor organization at the local and state levels.
A Web site, www.frankmahaffay.com is under construction and will be “live” very shortly.