Committee to Re-Elect Mary Margaret Haugen - WA

Whidbey News-Times Endorses Mary Margaret Haugen!

That's right!

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The Whidbey News Times endorsed Mary Margaret Haugen for re-election, saying:

"Even Oak Harbor, Republican bastion that it is, will be much better served with Haugen’s re-election."

and

"For anyone who genuinely wants what is best for the Island County and the 10th District, Haugen is the better choice."

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Read the whole thing at Whidbey News Times: Haugen best choice for State Senate

Fighting the Filth...

As Election Day gets closer, people all over are starting to get some really sleazy campaign material sent on behalf of Linda Haddon.

Without anything good to say about Linda Haddon, an organization called the “Citizens’ Action Group” has resorted to lying about Mary Margaret Haugen’s record.

But exactly who are the “citizens” of the “Citizens’ Action Group?”

• The “Citizens’ Action Group” has a mailing address in Bellevue – since when did Bellevue become part of the 10th Legislative District?

• The “Citizens’ Action Group” has only one financial contributor – “The Leadership Council,” which is the political action arm of the Senate Republicans.&#160;

So why do the Senate Republicans feel like they need to hide themselves with an alias inside an obscure Bellevue office?

Maybe because that’s not all they’re hiding!

• According to the Public Disclosure Commission, the people financing these mailers on behalf of Linda Haddon just got $15,000 in funding from Philip Morris Tobacco and $10,000 from Chevron Oil.

Are these the people we want influencing our local politics?

There’s nothing wrong with candidates for public office receiving donations from outside their districts – members of both political parties have family, friends and supporters scattered across our state and around the country who want to contribute to their success.

But filtering money from Big Tobacco and Big Oil through an anonymous group with a Bellevue mailing address and using it to finance a stealth campaign of sleaze is something that Mary Margaret would never put up with – and Linda Haddon should disavow.

Mary Margaret is a "Business Champion"

Only one candidate for State Senate in the 10th Legislative District has been recognized as a "Business Champion" time and again by the people that count - the non-partisan business groups that are located right here in our communities!

Here are the cudos that count:

 The 2008 “LaFond Economic Partnership Award for Community Commitment and Service” from the Island County Economic Development Council

 2008 “Business Champion” Award from the Joint Snohomish County Chambers of Commerce

 2007 "Business Champion" Award from the Everett & South Snohomish County Chambers of Commerce

Mary Margaret knows how to look out for local businesses, and that's why local businesses have recognized her as a "Business Champion" time and again!

Doctors name Haugen “Legislator of the Year”

The 9,500 doctors of the Washington State Medical Association have named Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen their 2008 “Legislator of the Year,” citing her knowledge, influence and effectiveness at getting health care services to the people of Washington state.

Mary Margaret was praised by Dr. Brian Wicks, immediate past president of the WSMA, for her hard work on healthcare issues, including:

• her efforts to expand access to health insurance for children throughout the state;

• improving Medicaid reimbursement for children services; and

• her strong advocacy for mental health parity, requiring insurance companies to cover mental illness in the same manner as physical health coverage.

Mary Margaret knows that families are feeling the pinch of increasing health-care costs, and that rural doctors need improved Medicaid reimbursement to deliver services to our local communities – and Washington doctors know that Mary Margaret is a champion of better health-care for our state!

Endorsed by the Arlington Times and Marysville Globe

"After hearing their answers, our editorial board decided that you can't beat the experience and knowledge of Mary Margaret Haugen, who is the chair of the state's transportation committee and has been deeply involved in state education issues since first elected in 1982. Unless a long-time elected official like Haugen has offended the electorate in some major way, it's pretty hard to uproot a loyal support system. We are not aware of any such major discontent. From our perspective in the heart of north Snohomish County, Mary Margaret Haugen has served the community well."

www.pnwlocalnews.com/north_sound/arl/opinion/26286164.html

Endorsed by the Everett Herald

"Haugen's experience will also help in making the tough choices needed to balance the next budget."

www.heraldnet.com/article/20080925/OPINION01/709259965/-1/opinion

A Friend of the Farmers

Question - What do drainage ditches, tractors on highways, wetland mitigation, farmland preservation, and anaerobic digesters have in common?

Answer – Farmers, and Mary Margaret Haugen!

There’s a reason Mary Margaret has been recognized by The Washington Farm Bureau as a friend of farmers – it’s because of the hard work that she’s done for the long-term preservation of agriculture in our state.

Mary Margaret knowsWhen local drainage district commissioners needed explicit authority to implement their drainage plans – something that was supported by both the Western Washington Agricultural Association and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife – it was Mary Margaret that stepped up to sponsor Senate Bill 6275, and who worked across the aisle to get the bill passed with unanimous support!

 Farmers need to move their equipment from field to field, and sometimes that means using public roads that have weight restrictions – so Mary Margaret helped farmers by sponsoring Senate Bill 6273 to increase the weight restriction for vehicles with a farm implement special permit, and her hard work won the unanimous support of the Senate!

 Mary Margaret knows that good agricultural practices are also good environmental practices, which is why she sponsored Senate Bill 6761 to ensure that we’re not sacrificing agricultural lands in the process of protecting wetlands. Her efforts ensure that wetland mitigation bank decisions are made at the local level, where their impact on agriculture can best be taken into account!

 Agriculture is an important part of our economy and way of life, and productive farmland should be preserved instead of being plowed under for new homes or shopping malls. That’s why Mary Margaret took a leading role in creating the Office of Farmland Preservation and the Farmland Preservation Task Force – to make sure that current and new generations of farmers have the tools they need to retain agricultural land for agricultural purposes.

 Farmers are eager to use technology to make their operations more efficient, which is why Mary Margaret was excited to help some local farmers with plans to use specialized equipment to create renewable energy from farm waste. She helped update a 2003 law so that a six year property and leasehold excise tax exemption will apply to anaerobic digesters, also known as biodigesters. A single anaerobic digester - also known as a biodigesters - can generate enough renewable electricity for a small town the size of La Conner, but their high up-front costs prevent most farmers from investing in the technology. Mary Margaret worked to update a 2003 law to provide a six year property and leasehold excise tax exemption to this exciting new technology.

These are the things that Mary Margaret worked on in just a single session of the Legislature to help agriculture in Washington – and why she’s been recognized as a friend of farmers all over our state!

Dems again outpacing Republicans in county

"Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, the Camano Island Democrat who won the three-way primary battle for the 10th District. Haugen picked up 53 percent of the vote across the district, and won every precinct on Camano Island as well as every precinct from Penn Cove to the South End of Whidbey."

www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/swr/news/27936729.html

She's our state senator!

That's what local farmers are saying about Mary Margaret&#160; - they're loud and proud about how she's helped agriculture here in the 10LD and all over Washington.

Read about what local farmers think of Mary Margaret on the "Farm Power" blog at http://farmpower.blogspot.com/2008/09/shes-our-state-senator.html