Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands is the single most important job you may have never heard of. The Commissioner is the CEO of the Department of Natural Resources. Leadership will no doubt be a key to this race, but take a closer look at the possibilities and how it might shape the policies of the future. We also, no doubt, need a leader to promise environmental stewardship to our lands, but we need someone who has experience on the ground in the field and not necessarily fresh out of the courtroom. As good as an active leader in the environmental arena may sound, think about what that means and how it will eventually affect our pocket books. Will reducing timber harvest be a good idea? Where will the money for our schools come from?

Hilary Franz, a Democratic environmental activist, advocates reducing timber harvests that fund school construction. She also proposed a federal school-funding program as a model, but that is an unpredictable approach because Congress already denied that program. Asking for more funding requires going through the Legislature or creating costly policies that make you open up your wallet to pay more taxes.

The Commissioner of Public Lands distributes state trust funds to public schools. Responsible distribution of funds to the public school system could reduce burdensome taxes for the people of Washington State.

Candra Grimm

Aberdeen