Warnick announces bid for second term

MOSES LAKE — Sen. Judy Warnick announced this week that she seeking a second term as a state senator representing the 13th District.

“There are still some things I want to do as senator for this district,” Warnick said.

Warnick is currently the senior Republican on the state senate’s Agricultural, Natural Resources and Parks Committee, the Senate Ways and Means Committee, as well as the vice-chair of the Senate Republican Caucus.

“When I first ran for public office, I wanted to help create solutions for the challenges our citizens, small businesses, communities and state face,” she said. “I became involved in issues that matter to my constituents, and I want to continue to work for them.”

The most important things Warnick wants to keep working on are making sure farmers in the Columbia Basin have access to Columbia River water for irrigation, rather than ground water from wells; improve career and technical education (CTE); and make sure that state pesticide regulations do not unduly burden farmers.

Warnick said the work needed to provide farmers with river water was supposed to completed nearly 30 years ago.

“I’m really optimistic that we are closer to having surface water available,” she said. “We’ve not used the irrigation capacity of the Columbia River, and we need to recharge the aquifer.”

The senator also wants to continue working with school districts and the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to improve access to technical education, and to maximize the academic transferability of technical classes.

“There’s not been as much emphasis as there should be,” she said. “I want to see CBTECH filled with as many students as we can.”

Warnick also wants to keep working on the Pesticide Safety Workgroup to make sure that farmers can continue to use and apply pesticides “safely and timely” but also make sure that “farm workers are protected.”

But mostly, Warnick said she wants to keep on doing the work she’s given to do, representing the people the district.

“As long as voters want me,” she said, “I’m applying for another four years.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.