Ahead of the Aug. 6 primary election, the My Neighborhood News Network submitted a list of questions to candidates running for election. We are publishing responses as we receive them.

Rep. Strom Peterson, a Democrat, is the current state representative for the 21st District. He is seeking reelection to the Position 1 seat, which he has held since 2016. Peterson is a New Mexico native who moved to Edmonds in 2001 and was an Edmonds City Councilmember for six years prior to his election to state office. He also serves on the Snohomish County Council. In the Legislature, Peterson serves on three legislative committees. He is chair of the Housing Committee and a member of the Capital Budget and Civil Rights and Judiciary Committees.

Peterson is the former president of the Downtown Edmonds Merchants Association and a former board member of the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. He is the former owner of Edmonds’ The Cheesemonger’s Table, which is now Vinbero, a wine bar owned by Kris and Kali Kelnero.

Tell voters about yourself. How long you’ve lived in the district you’re hoping to represent/represent, what platforms/issues you’re running on and how your experiences benefit the position you are running for.

My wife, Maria, and I were lucky enough to move to Edmonds in 2001 and we knew immediately that this was a community we were going to become involved in. From my years on the Edmonds City Council to my time in the state Legislature and the county council, I am proud of my accomplishments in representing the 21st District. This is a district that is engaged, as can be seen in many of our robust town hall meetings as well as our comparatively high voter turnout. I will continue to work for safer communities by enacting policies like common- sense gun legislation, including the ban on the sale and manufacture of assault rifles in Washington State. I will keep fighting for our neighbors suffering from addiction and untreated mental health conditions by making data driven investments in treatment and support. I will join so many of you in combatting climate change, cleaning our air and water, and reducing our collective carbon footprint. And I will continue the bipartisan work we have accomplished in tackling the housing affordability crisis so seniors, young families, and working people can live in our wonderful communities.

How do you plan to stay in touch with constituents while you are in office?

One of the great things about this level of government is the outreach we can do with constituents and our availability to hear directly from people with ideas for legislation or problems we might be able to help them solve. As a matter of fact, I introduced and passed a bill based on a conversation I had at a local coffee shop. I am always looking for better ways to reach out to people, whether it be emails, newsletters, social media, or community events. If you have any ideas how my office can do this better, we are always open to new ideas, though I doubt you will see me on TikTok anytime soon.

What are the top three priority areas you would focus on as a lawmaker?

As chair of the Housing Committee, I have been focused on the housing affordability crisis we are facing across our state, and really, across our nation. From seniors hoping to downsize while staying in their communities to young families hoping to afford a starter home, I am proud of the bipartisan work we have accomplished over the past few years. I also know there is much more to do (see question about rent increases below).

I will also continue the work on poverty reduction. We have placed too many barriers on families to access the most basic of programs to help lift them out of poverty. Again, this is bipartisan work I have championed in order to help those families in dire need. For example, I met a young woman with two young kids who was struggling to get to work because she needed new tires. A bill I passed, along with a Republican co-sponsor, made it easier for her to access the needed funds. She was able to get to work, create some stability for her family, and is now going to school to become a translator.

Finally, I will continue to find solutions to our opioid and fentanyl crisis. I have worked closely with law enforcement, behavioral health and addiction specialists, and legislators from both sides of the aisle to make smart, data driven investments in treatment, prevention and follow-up services to help people get out of the cycle of addiction. We know we’re not going to arrest our way out of this crisis, but with a coordinated response we can find the solutions.

What are the priority areas of your legislative district?

I believe the top priorities of the 21st District are the top priorities I have listed above. From town halls, to emails, to conversations at the grocery store, I have heard loud and clear the concerns of my friends and neighbors — too many families are struggling to get by and we need proactive solutions to help. One other issue that I did not list above, but am deeply committed to, are the effects of climate change and what we can do to reduce our green house gas emissions, clean our water, and protect Puget Sound.

What do you think the state’s top three budget priorities should be?

Public school (K-12) funding is and will continue to be the top budget priority. While we have drastically increased funding for our schools across the state over the past few years, we know there is more to be done. This past year, I was especially proud to support increased funding for our special education students. We have also made great strides in childhood nutrition, giving more kids access to healthy meals at school. A hungry kid is not ready to learn and often just having a healthy breakfast can be the difference in a kid’s day. We have also made smart investments in the mental health needs so many of our students are experiencing. We have seen kids as young as 10 having suicidal ideations. That just can’t be the norm, so we have increased funding for school nurses and mental health professionals to help these young people out of crisis.

We must also invest in our workforce. Every industry seems to have a shortage of workers. From the construction trades, to nurses, to child care providers, the lack of well trained professionals is holding back our economy. Working closely with our unions, community and technical colleges, and our high schools, we have been developing smart and adaptive training programs to make sure we have the workforce of the future. Along those lines, we must also invest in quality child care. Too many people that want to join the workforce simply can’t because of the exorbitant cost of childcare ($12,000 a year!) and in some areas, there is no child care available.

My third priority, and this should come as no surprise, is housing. While the private market is the leader, by far, in dealing with our housing affordability crisis, we also know we need robust state investments for building housing for farmworkers, families struggling to make ends meet, our neighbors with developmental disabilities, and those struggling with addiction. As a member of the Capital Budget committee, I have championed record investments in the Housing Trust Fund where the state partners with so many great nonprofit housing providers to build and maintain these critical pieces of our housing supply.

Recent state legislation has focused on housing initiatives to increase housing supply and the construction of middle housing. Do you support these initiatives? Why or why not?

I am proud to have co-sponsored and supported these important bipartisan pieces of legislation to help increase our housing supply and tackle the affordability crisis. From decreasing permit times and wasteful red tape, to giving homeowners more options in building accessory dwelling units (ADUs), to helping incentivize different types of housing options, I was proud to help bring together a coalition of environmentalists and developers, housing advocates and realtors, Republicans and Democrats to find real solutions to a complex issue.

With rent rising, does the state have a responsibility to cap rent increases? Do you have ideas for supporting struggling renters?

Here in Snohomish County we have seen rents increase by 70% over the last 10 years. That is leaving too many families, seniors, veterans, and young people at risk of homelessness. More than half of renters in our communities are spending more than 30% of their income on rent and studies have shown that every $100 increase in median rent leads to a 9% increase in homelessness. And while all of those statistics are jarring, it’s the personal stories I hear in our community that have the deepest impact. In May I met with over 100 seniors facing economic eviction from their manufactured housing communities right here in Snohomish County. The fear of being forced to make choices between rent and medication or the terror of ending up on the street was real. We can and must do something at the state level and that is why I support rent stabilization. While we were able to get a well thought out rent stabilization bill out of the House last session, it did not make it out of the Senate. I am committed to getting this critical piece of the housing puzzle signed into law.

Is there more that lawmakers could be doing to address behavioral health issues related to mental health and substance abuse? What about homelessness?

There is always more we can do. Quite frankly, we are in a hole nearly 40 years in the making when it comes to underfunding behavioral and mental health, both here in Washington and nationally. That is not to say that we haven’t made tremendous progress in the last few years. For example, we have invested in the Center for Behavioral Health and Learning with the University of Washington which will be a national leader in training mental health professionals (which we are in dire need of) as well as creating much needed beds for those suffering with behavioral health challenges. We have also fully funded our 988 crisis number so individuals or family members can call and talk to a mental health professional immediately. The success of this program in other areas around the nation has been astounding. Finally, I want to caution all of us about connecting homelessness to addiction and behavioral health. More often, the cause of someone’s addiction or mental health disorder is homelessness, not the other way around. We must stop and consider the terror a young person might feel from being forced to live on the streets because they were kicked out of their house, or the fear a woman with her child fleeing domestic abuse must face on a daily basis as they are living in their car. These traumas are real and will often lead to mental health and substance use disorder. Homelessness is a housing problem.

What responsibility does the state have in mitigating the impacts of climate change?

 Washington has led the nation, and even the world, with the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) charging the state’s largest polluters for spewing toxins into the air and using that money to make smart investments in communities that heve been most impacted by climate change and into proactive energy solutions to reduce our carbon footprint and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. Investing in local sources of energy from solar to geothermal to wind to hydropower will not only help clean our air and water, but will create good paying family wage jobs that will stay right here in Washington state. I am proud to have voted for the CCA and believe the voters will ensure its continued success this November by voting NO on Initiative 2117.

What is your opinion on a state income tax?

Without a doubt, we need a better tax system where the wealthy pay their fair share. Currently, an income tax is unconstitutional and it would take an initiative of the people to make that change. Unfortunately, monied interests would spend millions of dollars to defeat any such measure. We have, however, had some success in balancing our tax code by initiating a tax on the sale of capital gains. Fewer that 4,000 Washingtonians (about 0.2% of the population) pay this progressive tax and the money is invested in child care, school construction and early learning. We used to be 50th in the nation in regressive taxation, where working families pay a greater percentage of their income in taxes. We are now number 49 (thanks Florida) so we have a long way to go. Yes, even Idaho has an income tax. A smart and balanced tax code is critical for creating sustainable funding for the needs of Washingtonians.

School districts are facing drastic budget cuts, which many say is due to the legislature’s failure to fully fund basic education. Is this a fair criticism? If so, how would you propose addressing it?

There are 295 school districts in Washington state and each one makes spending decisions independent of the Legislature. As stated above, we need to make more investments in our K-12 system and we have been doing that ever since I have been in the Legislature. Specific budget decisions, however, are made at the school board level.

What role should the state play in supporting underrepresented groups?

I am immensely proud to be a part of the most diverse House Democratic Caucus in the history of Washington state and that diversity has paid incredible dividends in how we all approach our work. From creating the Office of Equity, so traditionally underrepresented communities have a seat at the table, to passing the “Nothing About Us Without Us” legislation this past year ensuring that diverse voices with lived experience are included in decision making. Perhaps my favorite piece of legislation we passed in the past few years is the Covenant Homeownership Act, which directly addresses the systemic racism in our housing policies. There were state-sanctioned covenants on the books all across the state that forbid people of certain races, ethnicities and religions from buying homes in certain neighborhoods. This kept countless families from being able to create intergenerational wealth, so we set up a program to help these impacted families with access to capital. This is a nation leading policy that I am incredibly proud of.

The Legislature failed to pass several police accountability bills during the last session. Would these be a priority for you in 2025?

We have made important strides in both police accountability and increased funding and training for law enforcement throughout the state. For example, we have created regional training facilities so new officers can do their training closer to home which will help recruit more people into law enforcement careers. I am committed to giving the best training and support to law enforcement, while ensuring they are accountable to the community. For example, I have introduced a bill (and will do so again) to replace deceptive interrogation tactics (yes, police can lie during interrogations) with well-researched, data-driven techniques that produce better conviction rates, gather more reliable information, and build trust with the community.

How can we increase civic engagement among younger age groups?

Once again, Washington State has been a national leader in making it easier for young people to register to vote, which is a key to engagement. Just by preregistering to vote when a teen gets a drivers license will drastically increase their chance of voting when they turn 18 and get their ballot in the mail.

One of my favorite “perks” of the job is visiting classrooms. Whether it’s a civics class at Mariner High School or a second-grade classroom at Spruce Elementary, visiting with students and hearing what they have to say has informed many decisions on issues from plastic pollution to common sense gun control. No matter their age, these kids ask some of the smartest and toughest questions I have ever fielded.

The Washington State Legislature also has an incredible page system where young people (age 14-16) come down for a week of deep engagement during session. We have legislators and staff who started in the page system. If you have a kid or grandkid or niece or nephew, please contact my office or visit the Page Program online.

Finally, we as individuals and a Lgislature as a whole, need to find better ways to use social media and other avenues to reach out to young people. Just don’t count on me to be on TikTok.

— By Jasmine Contreras-Lewis