Interview: Marilou Rickert (G) for State Senate for the 35th District of Washington

By: Joe Urban 

1. What distinguishes you from your opponents?

 Green Party candidates do not accept campaign contributions from corporations or special interest PAC’s, but only from organizations that support Green Party values and from individuals.  Last time I looked, more than 85% of my opponent’s campaign donations came from corporations and PAC’s—especially corporations.  His voting record—which is strongly anti-labor and anti-environment—reflects the economic interests of his contributors.

 2.   How long have you been involved in politics? Do you remember the first time you voted?

I first voted in 1970.  I was appointed to the Boulder, Colorado Human Rights Commission in 1979, but only served a few months before relocating to Seattle, Washington to accept a field position with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.  I have stood for office once before—for King County Superior Court Judge in 1996.

 3.   What is the greatest challenge of public service?

Remaining true to ones values and the interests of ones constituents while negotiating effectively with other lawmakers.

 4.   What is the most important issue facing the 35th District?

  The protection of our natural resources.

 5.   What advice would you give someone thinking of running for public office?

  Don’t be intimidated.

 6.   What was your first car?

  1964 Karman Ghia

  7.   What was your favorite subject in High School?

   English

  8.   How did you become involved in the (G) Party?

  I first heard about the Green Party in 1975 when I shared an apartment with a woman whose sister was standing for Parliament in New Zealand on the Green Party ticket (she won).  By that time, I was already a great fan of Ralph Nader—he possessed the honesty, integrity, intelligence, and devotion to the public interest that I looked for but very rarely found in politicians.  In the early ‘80’s, I read a book of essays about the European Green Parties and wished we had something like that in this country (a political party with an agenda that combined advocacy for environmental preservation with advocacy for social justice and a concern for strong communities with a sense of global responsibility).  By 1996, we did—and Ralph Nader was leading it!  I’ve been a Green ever since.  

 9.   What is your favorite movie and favorite actor?

  “Philadelphia”/Tom Hanks  (Today—if you ask me tomorrow, you will almost certainly get a different answer.)

 10.  Will the U.S. invade Iraq by December 2002?

  I hope not.

  11.  If you were in the State Senate today, what would be your first bill to sponsor?

  Full, universal, single-payer health care coverage

12. Why should the citizens of the 35th District Elect you on Nov. 5th, 2002?

  I care about what they care about:  access to health care; quality schools and access to higher education; clean, fair elections in which every vote counts; river restoration, salmon recovery, and water quality; sustainable economic development based on small, local businesses, family farms, co-ops and low-impact, unionized industries; and shifting the state revenue base from taxes on sales and business revenues to taxes and fees for pollution and the use and extraction of our natural resources.

13. With your prior involvement with the CDC? Do you think the CDC should be the lead Health organization for the War on Terrorism?

I think CDC has the resources and the talent to not only safeguard public health in this country, but also to provide substantial assistance to the developing world in the prevention and control of disease and the overall improvement of public health and sanitation, which will make all of us less vulnerable to epidemics and other large-scale health threats.  I also think that continuing and increased cooperation between CDC, the World Health Organization, and other international health agencies will not only improve human health all over the world, but will also integrate the United States more fully into the community of nations, while strengthening that community, thereby lessening the likelihood of and decreasing the opportunity for terrorism against us.

14. How do you improve education in the State of Washington?

 We need to begin by repealing the super-majority requirement for local school funding measures.  Then, in order to meet our obligation to fully and adequately fund basic education, we need to find more stable sources of revenue than the sales, business, and property taxes on which we now rely.  We need to recognize and cherish the diversity of our school population, the individual learning styles of our students, and the individual gifts of our teachers and use the extensive educational research available to us to design programs that make the best use of this wealth.  Finally, we need to work with teachers and school administrators to devise non-disruptive and useful means of measuring educational success.