Name: Fred Jarrett
Age: 58
Marital status: Married, wife Susan
Children: Catherine 38, Amy 35, Aric 28 and Keith 25
Education: BA in finance from Washington State; MBA in finance from Seattle University
Occupation: Project Manager, The Boeing Company
Campaign Web site: www.vote4fred.org
Campaign e-mail: fred@vote4fred.org
Top three endorsements: Washington State Patrol Troopers Association; Washington Education Association; Washington Conservation Voters
What are the two biggest issues you want to address and how do you plan to address them if elected:
Education and Transportation.
Our futures all depend on the performance of public education. That’s why I have devoted much of my legislative energy to education. This year the Legislature passed a bill establishing a performance measurement system in higher education, a bill I authored. It marks the first compressive accountability system for our higher education system.
I also serve on the basic education task force, a group tasked with refashioning the definition of basic education for the 21st Century. I expect recommendations later this year to reform what we expect of our K-12 schools, and how we will hold them and the Legislature accountable.
While it is satisfying to see work beginning to improve our transportation systems, we have much more to do. Decades of neglect will not be repaired quickly. But our region needs a balanced, modern transportation system. I have supported investments in roads and transit, and will continue to do so. I have supported improvements to contracting and management of transportation projects, and will continue to do so. And, I have supported improved accountability for transportation in this region, and will continue to do so.
Improving your ability to understand how well the state manages your tax dollars remains a most important challenge for the Legislature. Bringing modern budgeting and accountability methods into the legislative budget, while not likely to grab headlines, remains the only way for you to regain confidence in state government.
