Fagan wants to lead, serve citizens

PULLMAN — Susan Fagan is running as a Republican for election to the state House of Representatives serving the Ninth District because she is ready to use her leadership skills to serve citizens.

“When we appointed Don Cox to serve in the 2009 session of the Washington Legislature, Don told us that we needed to find someone to run in the upcoming special election, who was willing to serve a number of terms … someone with a lot of energy and who would keep the seat in Republican hands,” Fagan stated. “I knew that the opportunity to run had presented itself.”

She stated her work, farm and political experience will help her fulfill the needs of the position.

“I have a foundation in production agriculture raising wheat, barley, peas and lentils with a cow-calf operation,” Fagan explained. “I understand the challenges the private sector faces in dealing with laws, flat, fair, open market.”

She spent 15 years working for three U.S. Senators.

“Constituent focus and constituent needs were our highest priority and that’s how I view a state legislator’s role,” she stated. “Knowing the district and its economy and knowing and sharing the values of our district mean that I can be an effective representative.”

Her goals for the position involve the economic climate, agriculture, education and health care.

“My top priority is to join other fiscal conservatives and push for a budget that lives within our means,” Fagan stated.

She explained taxpayers should be involved in a transparent budget process.

“In the 2009 sessions, the budget was written behind closed doors by few people and the results were disastrous,” she stated. “The same leaders that wrote that budget should have reduced spending immediately upon arriving in Olympia in January and the final budget wouldn’t have been so painful to so many.”

She explained it’s vital to protect agriculture.

“We must protect the foundation of our economy,” Fagan stated. “Maintaining the Lower Snake River dams is a key component. Slack water provides clean transportation for much of our commodities. Irrigation is another benefit of the dams plus they provide safe fish passage, recreation and clean, renewable energy.”

She stated it’s important for the state to expand the market on Washington agriculture products.

“Correcting the ‘use it or lose it’ water language is an important step for farmers and for the state and will protect farmers water rights and encourage conservation.”

Fagan stated it’s important for the state to secure funding for kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education.

“Levy equalization must be protected and is critical to the schools in the Ninth District,” she stated. “Property rich school districts can raise large sums of revenue to operate their schools with a much lower tax rate than school districts in Eastern Washington, where farms and homes and businesses are spread out over vast geographical areas.”

She stated health care must be determined locally, rather than federally.

“After ‘door belling’ thousands of homes and visiting with many people, it’s obvious that most Washingtonians are opposed to a federal health care system and I agree 100 percent,” Fagan stated.

The challenge she expects with the position is budgeting. She stated if the money is not available for certain projects and activities, it shouldn’t be spent.

Fagan stated citizens should vote her because she is fiscally conservative.

“For the past 10 years, I have worked the processes in Olympia on behalf of the private sector,” she stated. “I focused on fighting against the reinstatement of the state death tax, making unemployment insurance meet the needs of employers as well as employees, protecting retrospective programs related to workers comp, fighting a proposal to make agriculture subject to the B&O tax, advocating for legislation that reduces the cost of health care and protecting association health plans.”

Fagan explained she will work to reduce regulations on agriculture and maintain open markets for Washington agriculture products.

She explained her views on water as it pertains to agriculture.

“Water is the life blood of much of the western part of district nine,” she stated. “With much of our water already allocated in Washington state, new water rights are increasingly difficult to obtain, which means we have to do everything possible to hang on to the water rights we have.”

She explained the importance of tourism in Adams County.

“The county and the region must have a strong economic base and for us, that’s agriculture,” Fagan stated. “Tourism provides another means of diversifying the ag economy.”

She supports increasing the natural gas pipeline capacity.

“The state has an environmental (and) regulatory role and that should not stifle opportunities for the market to meet demand,” she stated.

Her priority for Adams County is to be fiscally conservative and develop an adequate state budget.

“A good business climate will encourage growth and expansion, and remember it will be the private sector that will lead us out of this recession,” Fagan stated.