We endorse: Call it a toss-up. Kirby, Mena both shine in Tacoma Legislative Dist. 29
How do voters know, metaphorically speaking, when it’s time to “take the keys away from grandpa”? Or should they simply trust gramps will know when it’s time to give up the keys and let another qualified driver take the wheel?
These are difficult questions that voters in Pierce County’s 29th Legislative District must wrestle with this year. They’ll decide whether to send a respected 20-year veteran of the Washington House back to Olympia, or turn to an exceptional young political talent.
Answering those questions is important for the urban district, which covers South Tacoma and parts of Lakewood, Parkland and Spanaway.
But it has broader implications, too. The Democratic showdown between Rep. Steve Kirby, 68, and Sharlett Mena, 30, illustrates a dynamic sweeping America right now, a collision between Baby Boom and Boomlet. It pits the wisdom and experience of elders against the raw energy and revolutionary thinking of the youngers..
If you want easy answers, don’t look here. Our Editorial Board was more conflicted on this race than any we’ve evaluated so far in 2020. We concluded that the 29th will be well served with either Kirby or Mena, and opted for a co-endorsement.
He’s a lifelong Tacoman, former 15-year city councilman, champion of the working class and legislative authority on consumer issues. She’s the tireless daughter of Mexican immigrants, first in her family to graduate college, with a strong portfolio of behind-the-scenes work at the state Capitol and Congress.
As for the grandpa-car-keys analogy, don’t blame us if it sounds impertinent; it comes from the famously folksy mouth of Kirby himself. He used it to explain why voting out a battle-tested House member would be foolish while Washington is in crisis-response mode. If reelected, he’ll have more seniority than all but four of his 97 colleagues.
“This is not the time to replace all that institutional memory,” Kirby told us. “There will be a time for change. When I can’t string a sentence together anymore, maybe somebody might have to take the keys away from grandpa. But I’m telling you, we’re certainly a long ways from that.”
Kirby has trotted out similar warnings in previous reelection campaigns, which begs the question: Will there ever be a perfect time for change?
This year, however, his argument is especially hard to refute.
Kirby’s long relationships at the Capitol, deep knowledge of the legislative process, and commitment to bipartisan negotiation and compromise shouldn’t be minimized -- not when lawmakers face a $9 billion budget hole, a public health emergency and balance-of-power friction with the governor.
For 16 years, Kirby has chaired the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee. He’s at the center of landlord-tenant policy, suddenly complicated by the COVID-19 shutdown. He’s drafting a bill to ban insurance companies from using credit scores to set auto premiums.
Phrases like “seniority,” “experience” and “wisdom” crop up repeatedly in endorsements from prominent Democrats, such as House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.
But make no mistake: Sharlett Mena is a formidable opponent. She grew up in a Tri-Cities home where no English was spoken, graduated from Washington State University and went on to do immigration policy work and bilingual outreach for a New Jersey congressman.
Back home in Washington, Mena was a legislative staffer and worked on Gov. Jay Inslee’s 2016 reelection campaign, then caught on with his office as a federal liaison. Today she’s a special assistant in the state Department of Ecology.
Mena’s passion is contagious when she speaks about young people marching against climate change and racial injustice. “They want change and they don’t want incrementalism anymore, so that’s why I’m here,” she told us. “I’m ready to lead this district into the future.”
Ah, but what about having a keen understanding of the past? Winston Churchill said that “the farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
Mena has lived in the 29th less than two years, though that didn’t keep her from winning the endorsement of Rosa Franklin, district matriarch and senator from 1993 to 2010. Franklin praised Mena for “vision and follow-through.”
The third person in the Aug. 4 primary for House Position 2 is perennial candidate Terry Harder. His platform is simple: lower taxes and limited government. But despite roots more than two decades deep, Harder keeps piling up losses in a district that hasn’t elected a Republican in more than 50 years.
For either Kirby or Mena to be eliminated in the primary would be disappointing. They’re both worthy candidates, and the Democratic Boomer-vs.-Boomlet debate should carry forward into the fall.
ABOUT OUR ENDORSEMENTS
The News Tribune Editorial Board interviewed candidates and did other research before making our picks in the Aug. 4 primary election. For races with only two candidates, we will wait until general election season. Endorsements are intended to promote civic discourse and encourage voters to dig deeper. Board members include: Matt Misterek, editorial page editor; Karen Irwin, editorial writer; Matt Driscoll, local news columnist; and Pamela Transue, community representative and former president of Tacoma Community College.