Inside Opinion » Derek Kilmer

Seeking power and fame? Filing week’s almost here

TNT Editorial Board — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:45:28 +0000

This editorial will appear in Friday’s print edition.

OK, that headline is a little deceptive. The offices that will be on the Aug. 6 primary and Nov. 6 general election ballots are, for the most part, the kind of local positions where people make the nuts-and-bolts decisions for cities, schools and other bodies.

If you’ve ever complained about local officials and said something like, “If it were up to me . . .,” this is the time to back up those words with action.

Filing week begins Monday (online or at the Pierce County auditor’s office kiosk) for the Aug. …

For Congress: Kilmer, Smith, Reichert and Heck

TNT Editorial Board — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:08:16 +0000

This editorial will appear in Wednesday’s print edition.

The greater South Sound region is a nexus of four of Washington’s 10 congressional districts, which translates into generous representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and a quartet of choices on election days.

This year, two of those choices – in the 8th and 9th districts – are slam dunks. The other two – in the 6th and 10th – are tougher. Our take:
The 6th District – which embraces the Olympic Peninsula and slips a finger across the Narrows into Tacoma – was represented for decades by Norm
…

Too few primary voters, but they made good choices

TNT Editorial Board — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:45:11 +0000

This editorial will appear in Thursday’s print edition.

Sure, the Olympics are a distraction, many of us are on vacation and the weather’s been so sunny that perhaps it’s thrown Northwesterners for a loop. But does that explain the lower-than-expected turnout in Tuesday’s primary?

Going to an all-mail election statewide was supposed to boost turnout. After all, there’s no excuse for failing to vote when the ballot is right there on the dining room table.

Unless a whole lot of voters waited until the very last minute to return their ballots, it’s looking like turnout won’t reach the 46 percent …

Our primary endorsements for the U.S. House

TNT Editorial Board — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 01:28:36 +0000

This editorial will appear in Sunday’s print edition.

The U.S. House of Representatives may be the most partisan room in the Western Hemisphere, yet Washington voters pick their candidates for it with a nonpartisan primary. It’s one of the state’s many political incongruities.

The top two vote-getters in August – regardless of party – will proceed to the November election. But despite the top two system, most Washingtonians align with either the Republican or Democratic Party, and they’re looking for candidates who reflect their views and have a fighting chance in the general election.

That’s why, except in the 9th …

Give Narrows tollpayers a break on project’s sales tax

TNT Editorial Board — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:45:19 +0000

UPDATE: The Legislature passed SSB6073 Thursday night. It now goes to the governor for her signature.

This editorial will appear in Friday’s print edition.

Narrows Bridge commuters are footing the bill for building the second span and retrofitting the original one. But if state Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, has any say in it, they won’t also pay state sales tax on the project anytime soon.

Kilmer’s Substitute Senate Bill 6073, which passed the Senate on Monday, is now in the House and of this writing is still technically alive. It would further delay payment of the sales taxes involved …

Kilmer’s plan: Ingenious job creation in hard times

TNT Editorial Board — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:48:02 +0000

This editorial will appear in tomorrow’s print edition.

A genuinely good idea tends to pop out from among the nondescript crowd of been-theres and done-thats. State Sen. Derek Kilmer’s proposal to create jobs without new taxes looks like that kind of idea.

The Gig Harbor Democrat – an economic development specialist who plays down his Oxford doctorate – knows that government best builds the economy by building infrastructure. Such things as sewers, water lines, highways, ports, schools – the necessary foundations of private businesses.

With tentative support from both Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature, Kilmer is proposing legislation that …

Kilmer, Seaquist and Angel for the 26th district

Kim Bradford — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:12:02 +0000

This editorial will appear in Tuesday’s print edition.

If this year’s primary election was any indication, voters in the swing district that encompasses the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas are inclined to return their bipartisan trio of lawmakers to the Legislature.

They have the right idea. The 26th district won’t find a better mix of proven leadership, experience and representative politics.

Sen. Derek Kilmer, vice president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board, is seeking his second term in the state Senate.

His opponent, Republican Marty McClendon, is a real estate broker who has never served …

No election-night blood bath, just some slow bleeds

Kim Bradford — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:46:39 +0000

This editorial will appear in Thursday’s print edition.

If Washington voters are mad, they largely kept it to themselves this election.

The anti-incumbent fever supposedly sweeping the nation didn’t materialize in any big way Tuesday night. With few exceptions, incumbency conferred its usual advantages as sitting politicians enjoyed healthy leads.

But the armor wasn’t without some chinks. A number of Democratic state senators appear to be in trouble – and some experts read signs of distress in the returns for U.S. Senate and the state’s only open congressional seat.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray had 46 …

Re-elect Sen. Derek Kilmer in the 26th district

Patrick O'Callahan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:41:43 +0000

This editorial will appear in tomorrow’s print edition.

The August primary isn’t exactly a gold rush in the 26th Legislative District, which runs through the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas north into Bremerton.

Both House positions have attracted only two candidates each, so those races will be decided in November. The Senate race is a three-way affair with Democratic state Sen. Derek Kilmer facing two challengers: Republican Marty McClendon and Kristine Danielson of Port Orchard, who claims no party affiliation.

Since this is a partisan office and Danielson is neither fish nor fowl, McClendon is the more credible alternative …