Election forum at ShoWare: See the video, hear the candidates

(Editor’s Note: The political forum at the Kent ShoWare Center is getting off to a late start. We are expecting it to get under way at 11:45 a.m. Please stay tuned.)

With the November general election just two months away, the Kent Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a forum for the region’s top political races this year.

The forum runs 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Kent ShoWare Center, 625 W. James St., in the club lounge.

Questions will be drafted by Government Affairs. Questions from the audience will be taken if time allows.

The following candidates will be present to make their case:

District 47

State Senate

Incumbent Claudia Kauffman vs. Joe Fain

Kauffman was elected to the Senate in 2006 and is seeking a second four-year term. Fain is chief of staff for King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer.

State Representative, Pos. 1

Incumbent Geoff Simpson vs. Mark Hargrove

Simpson is a Kent firefighter who has served 10 years in the Legislature. Hargrove is a Boeing flight instructor who previously ran against Simpson two years ago.

State Representative, Pos. 2

Incumbent Pat Sullivan vs. Rodrigo Yanez

Sullivan has served six years in the House. He was elected to two-year terms in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He is a former Covington mayor and Council member. Yanez, in his first race for elected office, has lived in the Panther Lake area of Kent for 19 years. He and his son run Yanez International, a home-based business that serves as agricultural export agent for companies.

District 33

State Senate

Incumbent Karen Keiser vs. Jack Michalek

Keiser has served 10 years in the Senate. She was appointed to the Senate in 2001 and won elections to four-year terms in 2002 and 2006.

Michalek has lived in District 33 for 40 years and worked for more than 40 years in the transportation industry. He currently runs an aviation-consulting business out of his home.