Rhodes Less Traveled

I agree with just about everything in the Guest Opinion from state Sen. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Larry Seaquist that appears in our Jan. 29 issue.

No reasonable person would disagree with their objection to the state Treasurer’s stated intention to raise Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls to unrealistic levels.

What I don’t agree with is that only Kilmer and Seaquist’s bylines are on the opinion.

What about Rep. Jan Angel, the third member of the 26th Distrct delegation and, by a strange coincidence, the only Republican (as well as the only Port Orchard resident)?

One assumes Kilmer and Seaquist’s argument would have carried more weight if it had come with the unanimous and bipartisan endorsement of all three members of the delegation.

And Angel would have signed it, too, had she been asked. But according to her, Seaquist and Kilmer never bothered to show it to her.

In fact, when I contacted her office on Monday just an hour after receiving the op-ed from her colleagues, Angel said she hadn’t even heard about it.
“I see what’s going on,” she said. “My Democratic opponent is trying to build the case that Derek and Larry are representing the district but I’m not. I share their concerns, and we’ve all talked to the treasurer together. But leaving my name off the letter is just their way of making it look like I’m not engaged with this issue.”

Kilmer and Seaquist, of course, were under no obligation to include Angel. But again, the letter would have commanded more credibility if they had.

All of which does sort of beg the question of which is more important to them — actually thwarting a toll hike or creating the misleading impression that they care about the tollpayers and Angel doesn’t?

Maybe it isn’t a big deal, but you might want to keep that in mind next time either Kilmer or Seaquist earnestly assures you that petty partisanship has no place in the legislative process.