Representative Matt Manweller ready for second year, second election

ELLENSBURG - It seems as if the election of 2012 just ended, but State Rep. Matt Manweller of Ellensburg is ready to campaign again, at the same time he prepares for the second year of his first term in the Washington State Legislature.

Manweller moved over to Olympia on Jan. 4 for the Monday, Jan. 13, opening of the legislature. If everything goes according to plan, the session will close 60 days later.

"It seems there is general consensus we can get out of here on time this time," Manweller said.

The key legislation this year deals with a supplemental budget that has already been negotiated. It will be a few hundred million dollars.

"We were a little low in our last revenue projections last year, and we have a little extra money that we're going to dole out," Manweller said. "That's the first time that's happened in six years."

However, Manweller said, increasing case loads will eat into it those funds to the tune of about half. He said there will be more students (needing more teachers), more elderly in nursing homes and more children on welfare than previously anticipated.

Manweller just finished his 2013 tour of duty at Central Washington University. He teaches there during spring, fall and summer quarters. He reserves winter quarter for his legislative duties.

While he prepares for his second year in Olympia, Manweller must plan for a new election. He hopes to retain his seat in the 2014 elections.

"I hope it's an easy campaign," he said. "I'll probably start to campaign at the end of April, if I get an opponent."

Manweller received 69 percent of the vote in 2012.

Manweller, a Republican, is somewhat of an oddity in Olympia. He is a college professor with a strong conservative background and conservative principles.

Before he could convince the Democrats, he had to convince his own party that he was for real. He sensed there was a distrust among the Republicans for his conservative views because of his work in education.

"'You might be too liberal,'" he said he heard.

From the Democrats he heard: "'But there's hope for him because he's a professor.'"

Manweller had an impression of the legislature before he went to Olympia. That impression turned out to be well short reality.

"It's more liberal than I thought," he said. "Whatever the unions want, they get."

Manweller said he sat with Democrats who told him that they needed to call union leadership before they could vote on legislation. They needed to know how the union wanted them to vote.

"The Republicans don't have some business person or some organization they call to see how they should vote," Manweller said.