Mulliken defends gas tax vote

Her first pro-taxes vote in 11 years still sore spot among area Republicans

COLUMBIA BASIN — State Sen. Joyce Mulliken, R-Ephrata, defended her vote in favor of a new tax increase on gasoline prices, saying that it is an investment Grant County will benefit from in the future.

The tax hike will create new revenues for the state's transportation budget, a large portion of which will go to major infrastructure projects throughout the state, including a broadening of State Route 17 between Ephrata and Moses Lake.

"This was a good economic move and a good public safety decision," she said.

It was reportedly Mulliken's first pro-new tax vote in 11 years as a legislator and it has sparked a mixed reaction among her constituents in the county, with some longtime supporters criticizing the vote and, Mulliken said, several opponents appreciating the stance she took.

"It's encouraging to hear people agree when you know you have taken a tough vote," she added, noting that she does not intend to make a habit of voting for more tax hikes.

To Mulliken, the legislators have not done a good job of educating people on the three different budgets. One of these, the capital budget, she voted for, hoping it may help the city of Warden revamp its water system and Big Bend Community College remodel its worn down fleet of airplanes.

A second budget is the operating, or general fund budget, which Mulliken voted against, because it raised the spending by 12 percent.

"The majority party raised the taxes," she said, referring to the Democrats, who are majority in both houses this year. "They did not control their spending, they didn't prioritize."

The third budget is the transportation budget, towards which the new gas tax monies will go. Mulliken believes she put her reputation as a new-tax foe on the line by voting on the increase. However, providing a good and safe transportation system are among the duties of state government, she added.

Two years ago, Mulliken voted against a five-cent gas tax hike for the transportation system. Looking back, Mulliken said that she opposed it, it still passed, and Grant County did not get anything to show for it.

This year, the situation was similar, given that even without Mulliken's vote, the gas tax hike had a majority in the Senate and it was going to pass.

This time around, though, Mulliken met with local leaders and listened to what they believed were major transportation issues that needed to be addressed.

The new tax hike sparked strong opinions on both sides of the Basin's political spectrum. People like Grant County Economic Development Council and Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey have expressed their support for Mulliken's efforts.

"I had a lot of people say 'thanks for explaining your position,'" in a letter to the editor of the Columbia Basin Herald, published last month, Mulliken said.

On the other hand, people like Grant County Republicans Chairman Tom Dent and Moses Lake farmer Mike Massey have expressed their dislike of Mulliken's latest vote.

"It's the wrong timing for a tax increase," Dent said, adding that there is a common belief among opponents of the tax hike that the state could have done OK without it until the economy improved.

While he said he understood the need to repair the state's transportation problem, Dent added that the tax hike in times of already high gas prices is the equivalent of adding insult to injury.

Massey agreed with Dent, saying he was surprised at Mulliken's decision. A strong Republican supporter said that not only was this not the time to raise taxes, but tax hikes were not part of the Republican Party's platform.

"I can't say for sure if I will vote for (Mulliken)" in the future. "I'll review everything she's done in the past and make my decision."

Still, Mulliken said she is not worried about her political future, saying that a person can never pretend to please everybody, and highlighting instead the toll in lives taken by the narrow asphalt of SR-17. She also underlined the fact that as part of passing the gas tax hike, the Legislature also passed guidelines for independent performance audits of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Massey has a different view of the performance audits. To him, an audit is needed to find out why the WSDOT needs all this extra money to build new roads.

"It's really killing us," he said. "It's making a lot of people upset."