Media:
Haugen: "I'm embarrassed" by Zarelli
Sunday, March 23, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer
Political newcomer challenges three-term state senator
Democrat Jon Haugen, an airline pilot from Felida, has filed for his party’s
nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Joe Zarelli in the 18th Legislative District
this November.
Haugen, 49, said his campaign will focus on supporting education, shrinking state
government, providing property tax relief, and informing voters about several
incidents from Zarelli’s past.
“I’m embarrassed to have him as my state senator,” Haugen told The Columbian.
He cited three specific incidents:
• Zarelli’s alleged possession of small amounts of cocaine in 1983 when he
was 21 and living in Edmonds. Police said they found the drug during a search
after they arrested Zarelli for driving with a suspended license. Zarelli was not
charged with possession of an illegal drug. In 1996, he told The Columbian: “I’m
saying, if they found something on me, no one brought it to my attention.”
• Zarelli’s failure to report the $32,800 a year he made as a state senator
when he filed for unemployment after losing his job with a security company in
2002. As a result, he collected more than $12,000 to which he was not entitled.
The story broke that year while Zarelli was running for Congress against Rep.
Brian Baird. Although Zarelli said he had previously discussed his salary as a
senator with the state Department of Revenue and did not think he was required
to report it, the revelation likely contributed to his defeat.
• The $8,300 in overpayments Zarelli received over 22 months during his
eight years in the Navy. The payments were based on his reported status as a
married sailor, when in fact he was divorced from his first wife at the time.
Haugen said any one of those incidents should give voters second thoughts about
supporting Zarelli.
“I won’t throw mud during the campaign,” Haugen said. “I will throw facts.”
Zarelli, 46, has served three four-year terms in the state Senate and enjoys
considerable clout as ranking Republican and former chairman of the powerful
Senate Ways and Means Committee.
He said he won’t respond to Haugen’s effort to “recycle old news” and put “his
particular spin” on long-ago incidents.
“He’s crossing the line, in my opinion,” Zarelli said. “To my way of thinking, he’s
demonstrating a lack of character. I made bad choices as a youth. There’s nothing
new that hasn’t been shared in past campaigns.”
Haugen’s first involvement in state politics after he moved to Clark County in
2001 came last year. He campaigned on behalf of the state PTA for passage of the
simple-majority initiative allowing school districts to pass operating levies by 50
percent plus one. Previously, school levies had to pass by a 60 percent
supermajority.
“I couldn’t believe there was something called supermajority,” he said. “It made
no sense to me.”
He criticized Zarelli for voting against sending the simple-majority measure to
voters, noting that the Battle Ground School District, in Zarelli’s own 18th
District, had struggled to pass levies under the supermajority law.
Haugen is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a 24-year military veteran.
A self-described “Reagan Democrat,” he said that if elected he would support
development of smart clean-energy projects that produce jobs for Washington,
oppose including light rail on a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River,
and work to create more state training slots for nurses.
If elected, he said, he would take a leave of absence from his job flying
international routes for Delta Airlines to serve in Olympia.
As of Feb. 29, Haugen’s campaign had raised $5,030 and spent $212, according
to state disclosure records. Zarelli’s campaign reported raising $73,868 and
spending $13,751 as of that date.
Felida man challenges incumbent
The Reflector, 26 March 2008
Democrat Jon Haugen says he is running against 18th District incumbent State
Sen. Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield) because he is embarrassed by Zarelli’s background
and performance.
“We need a senator with integrity,” said Haugen, who is a resident of the Felida
area.
Haugen recounted complaints against Zarelli since the 1980s, including a period
when Zarelli accepted state unemployment payments while a member of the state
senate-money he later paid back.
Haugen, who is an airline pilot with Delta Airlines, said Zarelli “is not a good
senator. He is a lazy senator.”
Haugen, 49, said the state House of Representatives attempted to pass a bill to
reimburse the Castle Rock School District for the expense of taking in students
from the defunct Vader School District. Haugen said the measure failed because it
had “no champion in the senate,” a position Haugen said Zarelli should have taken.
Haugen said the 18th District needs more job-producing industries. He said he has
researched a company that make wind turbines and another company that make
solar panels, and believes both could be brought to do business in the district.
Haugen said nursing schools in the area need to be expanded. He said schools are
full and “it’s a lottery to get into slots at nursing schools.”
Haugen’s wife, Cathy, is a nurse with Legacy Health System. The couple have
three children, a daughter at Skyview High School, a son who is a freshman at
Washington State University Pullman, and a daughter who graduated from
Western Washington University.
Haugen said he is opposed to a Cowlitz tribal casino at La Center primarily due to
traffic. He said the Cowlitz Tribe has been able to get Zarelli to sit on the sidelines
on the casino issue. He said Zarelli has received $1,400 from the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde with also opposes a Cowlitz casino in Clark County.
Haugen said he does not support the replacement of the I-5 bridges in Vancouver.
Instead, he said, consideration should be given to the construction of elevated
express lanes over the existing bridges that would extend from SR-500 in
Vancouver to I-405 in Portland with controlled access.
Haugen said light rail is too expensive at a construction cost of about $250 million
per mile. Instead, he said, heavy rail should connect Kelso to Portland over a
reconstructed railroad bridge. Travelers could transfer at the Portland railroad
station to other forms of transportation, he said.
Haugen said he opposes tolls to pay for bridge work. He said any new I-5 bridge
should be paid for by the federal government. He said I-205 should become a
complete circle, creating a third route over the Columbia River.
Haugen criticized Zarelli for accepting out-of-state campaign contributions from
“big tobacco,” Wal Mart and the Grand Ronde Tribe.
Haugen supported a recent change which allows school levies which allows school
levies to be approved with a 50 percent margin rather than 60 percent. He said
illegal immigrants should not be able to get Washington driver’s licenses. Those
who employ illegal immigrants should be penalized, he said.
Haugen said he favors freezing property assessments at their December 2005
levels, with increases since then limited to 2 percent per year.
Haugen: "I'm embarrassed" by Zarelli
Sunday, March 23, 2008
By KATHIE DURBIN, Columbian staff writer
Political newcomer challenges three-term state senator
Democrat Jon Haugen, an airline pilot from Felida, has filed for his party’s
nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Joe Zarelli in the 18th Legislative District
this November.
Haugen, 49, said his campaign will focus on supporting education, shrinking state
government, providing property tax relief, and informing voters about several
incidents from Zarelli’s past.
“I’m embarrassed to have him as my state senator,” Haugen told The Columbian.
He cited three specific incidents:
• Zarelli’s alleged possession of small amounts of cocaine in 1983 when he
was 21 and living in Edmonds. Police said they found the drug during a search
after they arrested Zarelli for driving with a suspended license. Zarelli was not
charged with possession of an illegal drug. In 1996, he told The Columbian: “I’m
saying, if they found something on me, no one brought it to my attention.”
• Zarelli’s failure to report the $32,800 a year he made as a state senator
when he filed for unemployment after losing his job with a security company in
2002. As a result, he collected more than $12,000 to which he was not entitled.
The story broke that year while Zarelli was running for Congress against Rep.
Brian Baird. Although Zarelli said he had previously discussed his salary as a
senator with the state Department of Revenue and did not think he was required
to report it, the revelation likely contributed to his defeat.
• The $8,300 in overpayments Zarelli received over 22 months during his
eight years in the Navy. The payments were based on his reported status as a
married sailor, when in fact he was divorced from his first wife at the time.
Haugen said any one of those incidents should give voters second thoughts about
supporting Zarelli.
“I won’t throw mud during the campaign,” Haugen said. “I will throw facts.”
Zarelli, 46, has served three four-year terms in the state Senate and enjoys
considerable clout as ranking Republican and former chairman of the powerful
Senate Ways and Means Committee.
He said he won’t respond to Haugen’s effort to “recycle old news” and put “his
particular spin” on long-ago incidents.
“He’s crossing the line, in my opinion,” Zarelli said. “To my way of thinking, he’s
demonstrating a lack of character. I made bad choices as a youth. There’s nothing
new that hasn’t been shared in past campaigns.”
Haugen’s first involvement in state politics after he moved to Clark County in
2001 came last year. He campaigned on behalf of the state PTA for passage of the
simple-majority initiative allowing school districts to pass operating levies by 50
percent plus one. Previously, school levies had to pass by a 60 percent
supermajority.
“I couldn’t believe there was something called supermajority,” he said. “It made
no sense to me.”
He criticized Zarelli for voting against sending the simple-majority measure to
voters, noting that the Battle Ground School District, in Zarelli’s own 18th
District, had struggled to pass levies under the supermajority law.
Haugen is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a 24-year military veteran.
A self-described “Reagan Democrat,” he said that if elected he would support
development of smart clean-energy projects that produce jobs for Washington,
oppose including light rail on a new Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River,
and work to create more state training slots for nurses.
If elected, he said, he would take a leave of absence from his job flying
international routes for Delta Airlines to serve in Olympia.
As of Feb. 29, Haugen’s campaign had raised $5,030 and spent $212, according
to state disclosure records. Zarelli’s campaign reported raising $73,868 and
spending $13,751 as of that date.
Felida man challenges incumbent
The Reflector, 26 March 2008
Democrat Jon Haugen says he is running against 18th District incumbent State
Sen. Joe Zarelli (R-Ridgefield) because he is embarrassed by Zarelli’s background
and performance.
“We need a senator with integrity,” said Haugen, who is a resident of the Felida
area.
Haugen recounted complaints against Zarelli since the 1980s, including a period
when Zarelli accepted state unemployment payments while a member of the state
senate-money he later paid back.
Haugen, who is an airline pilot with Delta Airlines, said Zarelli “is not a good
senator. He is a lazy senator.”
Haugen, 49, said the state House of Representatives attempted to pass a bill to
reimburse the Castle Rock School District for the expense of taking in students
from the defunct Vader School District. Haugen said the measure failed because it
had “no champion in the senate,” a position Haugen said Zarelli should have taken.
Haugen said the 18th District needs more job-producing industries. He said he has
researched a company that make wind turbines and another company that make
solar panels, and believes both could be brought to do business in the district.
Haugen said nursing schools in the area need to be expanded. He said schools are
full and “it’s a lottery to get into slots at nursing schools.”
Haugen’s wife, Cathy, is a nurse with Legacy Health System. The couple have
three children, a daughter at Skyview High School, a son who is a freshman at
Washington State University Pullman, and a daughter who graduated from
Western Washington University.
Haugen said he is opposed to a Cowlitz tribal casino at La Center primarily due to
traffic. He said the Cowlitz Tribe has been able to get Zarelli to sit on the sidelines
on the casino issue. He said Zarelli has received $1,400 from the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde with also opposes a Cowlitz casino in Clark County.
Haugen said he does not support the replacement of the I-5 bridges in Vancouver.
Instead, he said, consideration should be given to the construction of elevated
express lanes over the existing bridges that would extend from SR-500 in
Vancouver to I-405 in Portland with controlled access.
Haugen said light rail is too expensive at a construction cost of about $250 million
per mile. Instead, he said, heavy rail should connect Kelso to Portland over a
reconstructed railroad bridge. Travelers could transfer at the Portland railroad
station to other forms of transportation, he said.
Haugen said he opposes tolls to pay for bridge work. He said any new I-5 bridge
should be paid for by the federal government. He said I-205 should become a
complete circle, creating a third route over the Columbia River.
Haugen criticized Zarelli for accepting out-of-state campaign contributions from
“big tobacco,” Wal Mart and the Grand Ronde Tribe.
Haugen supported a recent change which allows school levies which allows school
levies to be approved with a 50 percent margin rather than 60 percent. He said
illegal immigrants should not be able to get Washington driver’s licenses. Those
who employ illegal immigrants should be penalized, he said.
Haugen said he favors freezing property assessments at their December 2005
levels, with increases since then limited to 2 percent per year.
 |  |  |  |  |
Jon T. Haugen for Senate, 18th District (D)