Which candidates would ban red light cameras?
Aug 10, 2010, 3:13 PM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:46 pm
As you’re trying to figure out whom to vote for in next week’s primary election, would one issue sway your decision?
The local group that wants to get rid of red light cameras in Washington asked four questions off all the state legislative candidates.
- Do you support a ban on red light cameras statewide?
- Would you sponsor legislation to end the use of red light cameras?
- How would you vote on a bill to end the use of red light cameras statewide?
- Are you willing to take further steps to ban photo enforcement?
Not all of the candidates have responded, but of the 45 who did, the majority support a ban on red light cameras. Only 4 said “no” they would not support a statewide ban.
Democrat Bob Apple, running for a State House position in a Spokane legislative district, says he would “prefer to fix the problems rather ban the system.”
“I tend to believe cameras have a lot of benefits, especially in video security, but to use them the way they’re being used as a fundraiser is wrong,” says Apple.
David Preston is a Republican running for a State Senate seat in the heart of the red light storm – the Mukilteo, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace areas. He says he does support a ban on the red light cameras. Even so says he there can be some advantages to the cameras if they’re truly used for safety and not for a “revenue grab.”
Preston says the bigger concern is if you’re using only one issue to decide which candidate to vote for, that’s a problem.
“If this is their only issue on why they’d vote for me or someone else, I don’t want them to vote for me because there are so many more important issues,” says Preston. “We have a financial crisis going on and unemployed people. We need jobs and we need to be worrying about that.”
BanCams.com founder Nick Sherwood makes no apologies for trying to get people elected who support a statewide ban on red light cameras. And while he agrees it’s not only issue you should judge a candidate on, it’s an important one.
“This is an issue that a lot of people are concerned with,” Sherwood says. “One of the reasons we started the organization is because there’s so much discontent about these cameras yet no outlet. There’s no organized effort to get rid of them.”
Here’s a spreadsheet of the candidate survey responses and the state’s directory to help you find your legislative district. Also, the Secretary of State’s voters’ guide for all the races on Tuesday’s Primary Election ballot.
(AP photo)
