Hello. My name is Herb Baze.
I’m the proud husband of Cathy Baze and the proud father of two wonderful boys and a terrific daughter. I’m the proud grandparent of two granddaughters. I’m a native of the 35th Dist. I was born and raised in Mason County. My Great Grandfather homesteaded in Mason County. It is because of my love for this community and my concern for present and future generations that I’m running for the state House of Representatives. We are over taxed, over regulated, and government at every level is overspending and I want to put an end to it before our children and our grandchildren have nothing left to be proud of.

I have been a small business owner for the better part of my adult life and a realtor. In 2000 I was elected Mason County Commissioner and served from 2001 through 2004. As one of three County Commissioners, we dealt with countless unfunded mandates handed down from Olympia. When our legislators act in Olympia, they need to be mindful of the consequences and the costs of their actions.

Our seniors and people on fixed incomes are being taxed out of their homes. Assessed values continue to rocket. Government income is at an all time high, and they continue to increase spending. One of our current local officials was quoted as saying: “If we have the money, people expect us to spend it.” Another said “the State of Washington will never let us go broke.” This attitude is what’s wrong with the current leadership of our government.

In 2006, many republicans and some democrats were defeated because voters felt disenfranchised from the leadership of our government. Voters then felt our leaders were unresponsive, unaccountable and unrealistic. As a result, some of those leaders were unelected.
I believe this election in 2008, more than any other in recent history, will be about “Responsible Leadership.” I believe people are unhappy with the direction we have been going and they want a change.
Will road and transit projects in our district be finished on time and within budgets?

Will businesses in our district continue to fail because of an unfriendly business environment? Will High Labor and Industry rates, over regulation, and unfair tax burdens continue to close businesses faster than new ones can start?

Will our leaders start listening to our needs for more public safety, less burdensome regulation and greater accountability of our government? Not if we don’t do something about it!

Living In Our Community Should be Safe And Affordable.

I believe government’s paramount duty to our youth and families is guaranteeing our safety. Yet everyday in this state, our children and families are constantly being threatened by sex offenders being released in our community by the State Department of Corrections. Recently, when the University of Washington requested that 13 sex offenders be removed from around their immediate area, the State Department of Corrections removed them immediately! When parents around one of our local elementary schools asked that a sex offender be removed, there was no response! In fact, one set of parents were told to teach their six year old to just say no. Imagine a six year old trying to defend herself against a sex predator. There is something wrong with this picture!

These threats by unsavory characters aren’t just in our neighborhoods – they are in our internet communities as well. We need to do more to ensure internet safety for our children and our grandchildren.

Internet sites like Facebook and Myspace allow sex predators to prey on our kids. Recently, there were an estimated 20,000 sex offenders caught in this country online in one month. The response by these sites to complaints have been described as slow, sporadic and inconsistent. We need to do more in this area to hold these sites accountable.

In 2003, the County Commissioners from Thurston, Mason, and Grays Harbor Counties banded together and held joint public meetings in each of our 3 Counties. The intent of these meetings was to send a strong message to Olympia. That message was that we would not be forced by the do-gooders in Olympia to build homes for, and house sex offenders in our neighborhoods! We prevailed.

Our leaders need to be more responsive to the needs of our local communities. We need to be more proactive in our approach to problems. For example, we know that across the United States, 34 percent of children in 5th through 8th grade are not enrolled in any type of after school programming. Yet, researchers have repeatedly shown that children in after school and summer programming do better than those who are home alone. We need to assist our communities in providing more opportunities to nurture young people who are at risk or underprivileged through their formative years-before they get in trouble!

More and more, we educate our kids at a technical, community college or university only to see them move out of the area because they can’t afford to live here. In 2007, more than 1.3 million Americans lost their homes due to foreclosure largely due to spiking Adjustable Rate Mortgages. Home prices in our area are beginning to stagger. Still, we don’t have adequate, affordable housing for our first time home buyers. Young families can’t afford home ownership due to mainly overregulation and lack of accountability of our government. As a realtor I see it all the time!
As an owner of a small business, I know how difficult it was for me to get started.

Access to seed capital for entrepreneurs and an increase in mentorships are vital to the success of businesses and subsequently the creation of jobs. There is a need for a comprehensive program at the state for all small businesses including startup’s, entrepreneurs, and high growth potential businesses.

The Small Business Administration estimates that 3 out of every 5 startups fail in the first six years. While Washington State leads the nation in the amount of startups, we also have the dubious distinction of being 2nd in the amount of startup businesses that fail. This has been true for many years and this administration has failed to be consistent in any part of a comprehensive policy on small business. What little assistance they provide in much needed technical and management support services occurs largely in Pierce, Snohomish and King Counties – not in our area. It has been proven that what small business startups need most is “mentorship” in order to improve a small businesses rate of success.

The amount of entrepreneurs with startups or emerging businesses looking for assistance is equally tremendous. 58 percent of all small businesses in Washington are “home based businesses”. Many of these home based businesses are looking to expand by moving out of the home. Many are unable to because of a lack of seed capital, burdensome and expensive overregulation or because of a lack of know how.

Small construction contractors and subcontractors should be encouraged and hired to perform work on road, transit and capital projects. It isn’t happening and the reason is the lack of a coordinated comprehensive program for all small businesses.

This administration has a limited focus on entrepreneurship and startup. Leadership needs to come from the State of Washington in this area. A comprehensive, well integrated, coordinated and collaborative program for all small business needs to happen.
When I go door to door asking voters for their support, I ask them one question at the door: Since the last election, do you trust your government more?

The answer is a resounding no! Trust is built through open, honest dialogue.

A responsible leader will make changes in our community that are long overdue. My leadership is proven: As a former Mason County Commissioner, I built bridges across party lines, established positive relationships in our local communities and created an overall fabric of cooperation that created a stronger economy, greater accountability and safer neighborhoods.
If you vote for Herb Baze, you know what you are getting. I will face issues head-on and will speak frankly and openly no matter what the political risk. I will make the right choices, even if the consequences are uncomfortable.

I hope you will vote for me, Herb Baze, on Election Day.