Ryu’s track record as a representative has shown her as detail-oriented and someone who pays attention to potential unintended consequences in legislation. Voters should return Ryu to the House for another two years.
By The Everett Herald Editorial Board
Cindy Ryu is seeking her seventh term in Olympia representing the 32nd Legislative District. The former mayor of Shoreline has been reelected by her constituents for more than a decade.
Without a credible challenger, there is no reason for that to change.
Ryu’s opponent, Lori Theis, identifies with the Election Integrity Party. She did not meet with the board.
Supporting the incumbent is an easy choice for voters.
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/the-times-recommends-cindy-ryu-for-the-32nd-legislative-district-position-1/
I am proud to have the endorsements of all 3 publications.
Seattle Times: “As a former mayor of Shoreline and former president of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, Ryu has a clear understanding of how legislative levers can affect constituents in the 32nd and elsewhere.”
Everett Herald: “Cindy Ryu, during her tenure, has been a reliable advocate for small businesses, public education and affordable housing and deserves the sixth term she seeks.”
The Stranger: “Rep. Cindy Ryu is frank in a way other legislators aren’t when she levels with the SECB about the problems of trying to pass progressive taxes. Sure, we’d love a rosier outlook, but we’re all for Ryu telling us like it is…
The biggest thing for us is her commitment to police reform. Ryu’s record on policing is superb. She helped pass I-940, was part of the leadership team that established a joint legislative task force on community policing standards, and we’re confident she’ll add a necessary voice to the conversations around law enforcement next session. Vote Ryu.”
Please vote and return your ballots early.
Thank you!
Rep. Cindy Ryu
Paid for by: Friends For Cindy Ryu
PO Box 33548
Seattle, WA 98133-0548
I am thankful to have the Everett Herald endorse my campaign for re-election, sweeping the major endorsements in King and Snohomish County newspapers! Vote this week, if you haven’t already. “Ryu, during her tenure, has been a reliable advocate for small businesses, public education and affordable housing and deserves the sixth term she seeks.”
Editorial: Retain Ryu, Davis in 32nd LD for state House | HeraldNet.com
“Retain Ryu, Davis in 32nd LD for state House”
The 32nd District includes communities in south Snohomish and north King counties, including parts of the cities of Lynnwood, Edmonds, Woodway and Shoreline. The district’s House races each drew three candidates, meaning the primary election will determine the top two candidates for the Nov. 3 general election.
House, Position 1
A ten-year veteran of the House, Rep. Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, is seeking her sixth two-year term. Ryu, who emigrated from South Korea as a child, previously served on the Shoreline City Council, including time as mayor.
Ryu drew two fellow Democrats as challengers.
Keith Smith, who challenged Ryu in 2018 for the seat, said his experience as a grocery worker have informed his concerns for essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic, believing businesses need to be better held accountable for the safety and health of their employees. Smith has lived in the district for 20 years. Smith also cited concerns about the delay in distributing benefits for unemployed workers, pledging to work for reforms to the system.
Shirley Sutton, who has previously served on the Lynnwood City Council, has worked in executive positions for Edmonds Community College, Yakima Community College and the Yakima School district, with responsibilities for diversity affairs, adult education, homeless programs and labor relations. The Herald was not able to contact Sutton for an interview. In the voters guide, Sutton said she would be an advocate for affordable housing, public schools, small businesses and health care access.
With the state facing an economic downturn and significant revenue losses to the state budget, Smith said he supports reforms to the state’s tax package, including consideration of an income tax. He’s concerned about deep cuts to the state budget, because of the drag they would cause on the economy and their effects on needed services.
Ryu, hopeful for a relatively quick economic recovery, agreed that deep cuts need to be avoided and that new revenue will need to come from taxes, but she would like to see “sunsets” placed that would roll new taxes back as the economy improves.
Ryu said she disagrees with the delay by the governor and others in calling a special session to begin dealing with the pandemic’s impacts.
Ryu serves as chairwoman of the House committee on housing, community development and veterans issues and also is a member of the appropriations and consumer protection and business committees. Her responsibilities in the House are reflected in legislation she has sponsored in the last two sessions. Among bills for which she is the primary sponsor, Ryu has addressed issues of affordable housing, protections for mobile home communities, better administration of the senior property tax exemption and an enacted law that clarified requirements for short-term home rentals.
Ryu, during her tenure, has been a reliable advocate for small businesses, public education and affordable housing and deserves the sixth term she seeks.
The Stranger’s Endorsements for the August 4, 2020, Primary Election
“We ended our meeting with Cindy Ryu wishing we could go to a Thanksgiving dinner with her. She’s frank in a way that other legislators are not.
Ryu is down with progressive taxes, but she can’t commit (though we wish she would) to standing on a table and championing any of them—“I have acrophobia,” she joked, “I’ll fall off.” Nah, but really, she says she supports a capital gains tax, but argues that it won’t help in the short-term, so lawmakers will have to fill the gaping budget hole with regressive taxes and fees for the time being. We didn’t love to hear it, but we appreciated the candor.
In better news, Ryu’s record on police reform is solid. She fought for I-940, she was part of the leadership on establishing a joint legislative task force on community policing standards, and we’re confident she’s got more stuff up her sleeves the cops will not like very much!
Ryu is also decent on housing—she’s up for density and for tackling single-family zoning, she’s on board with just cause protections for renters (but not quite rent control, she is a commercial landlord, after all), and she wants to fight for home-grown pot.
Her opponent, Keith Smith, has run against Ryu three times—once as an independent, once as a centrist, and now, it seems, as a progressive. Apart from his rapid, um, evolution as a political thinker, he’s so used to running against Ryu that he felt comfortable wearing an Aeropostale t-shirt to the SECB meeting. We don’t know which sin is worse. Vote Ryu.”
