25th District Candidates Talk Transportation, Long-Term Care Issues at AARP Election Forum

At last night’s Pierce County Candidate Forum on aging and senior issues at Puyallup United Methodist Church, the conversation got very personal.

Candidates for Senate and House seats in the 25th, 27th and 2nd Districts spoke of being caregivers for elderly parents, caring for disabled family members, losing loved ones and the understanding that comes with all of it.

“I’ve been married to the love of my life for 35 years, but he’s been leaving me lately, due to his attention and memory problems,” said Maggie Sweasy, chair of the Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources Advocacy Board. “It’s an honor to care for him, but all of us caregivers need two things to make through–access to information and the ‘holy grail’ of caregiving–respite.”

Having time off from caregiving and access to resources all come down to revenue–a challenge in the current budget. Out of a list of concerns and needs addressed by AARP in the 2013 Washington State Aging Agenda, issues surrounding revenue and long-term care represented the biggest concerns for the audience. Also needed is vulnerable adult protection, financial security and transportation.

Local candidates were split on the future of public transportation and shuttle service in Puyallup and their support of Proposition 1, which would give more revenue to Pierce Transit – an agency that has cut services in Puyallup and the greater East Pierce County area.

“We need to complete SR 167 and bridge the gaps to the Port of Tacoma. I won’t commit my vote to a transportation revenue package unless it includes that,” said incumbent House representative Hans Zeiger (R).

Zeiger’s opponent Bill Hilton (D) took a different stance.

“I agree that building SR 167 is important, but local transportation is just as important. We have a vibrant senior community in Puyallup and a lot of people are telling me they need their bus routes back,” said Hilton. “When I was out doorbelling, a lot of seniors in mobile home parks said they’d like to take advantage of the Senior Center but they don’t have transportation. I’m a senior too – we need support.”

About 50 citizens, including local leaders in aging resources, attended the debate and left with buttons with the number “56” printed on them. The number signifies that 56 percent of the voting population will be over 50 in this year’s election and recognizes the “silver tsunami” to come–in 2030, AARP predicts that one in five Americans will be over the age of 65.

Educating America’s young is a critical component of addressing the issues facing seniors and the disabled, said the presenters. Having a strong education system leads to greater job opportunities and a strong middle class, agreed 25th District state senator candidate Eric Herde. Herde (D) is a sophomore at Pacific Lutheran University and has focused on education reform in debates.

“We don’t want to be competing with our parents and grandparents for jobs. We want them to enjoy retirement comfortably,” said Herde. “Young people and retired people have the same objectives.”

When it comes to rebuilding the middle class and bringing more revenue into the state to fund social programs, all candidates agreed it needs to be the number one priority.

“We don’t have a magic wand and need sustainable answers,” said House candidate Shelly Schlumpf (R). “The only thing that I can see that we can do is to grow the pot of money, then hopefully we can fund those programs to benefit the people we’re talking about tonight.”

What issues affecting seniors are most important to you? Tell us in the comments.

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Check out the Puyallup Patch Election Guide for a full list of candidates in this year's election.

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