For a Pro Human Approach To Governance

Lance Byrd

Born and raised in Seattle, I have lived most of my 54 years in the northwest. I moved my family to Bremerton seven years ago because of livability issues we experienced across the water. Our sons and daughter were successful academically here and we are proud of their career progress. Kitsap is our forever home.

The source of Seattle’s problems is now affecting Kitsap County and the entire state. Bad policy and the philosophy behind it are ruining quality of life for nearly everyone. I decided to run for office after seeing how the legislature raised our taxes and failed to protect our citizens by making it harder for law enforcement officers to apprehend and punish law breakers. Working people should be able to afford decent housing in safe neighborhoods. When elected I will push for solutions to homelessness with proven strategies that will include fiscal accountability and metrics for results.

I have worked for more than 24 years in the Information Tech (IT) sector. Currently employed as a Senior Technical Program Manager, I bring stakeholders together from across multiple organizations to solve complex people and process problems. Previous experience includes writing software programs, administering systems and networks, and fixing robots. I worked to earn my way through college. I understand concerns and empathize with everyday people. I regularly manage projects that bring people together who often have separate, and sometimes competing, interests to accomplish a singular goal and maintain fairness and respect within the group.

Priorities

  • Pursue Justice for Victims of Serious and Minor Crimes
    • From the standpoint of caring about community safety I opposed House Bill 1054 (the “progressive” police no-pursuit policy) when it was introduced in 2021. HB1054 predictably resulted in noticeable increase in car thefts and drivers unwilling to pull over for law enforcement. This created an issue of safety for all of us. I supported Initiative 2113 to reverse HB1054. I trust the professionalism and judgment of our police officers and the system to hold accountable those who dishonor their badge. In a society where crime goes unchecked we all eventually become victims.
    • More facts about the impact of HB-1054
    • My opponent as Representative Hansen voted for HB-1054 showing his disconnect with constituents.
  • Repeal “Cap and Trade” Taxes at the Gas Pump
    • SB5126 was passed in 2021-22 legislative session and has pulled $2 billion from the pockets of Washington residents. Who has benefited from that gouging? For those making $150K and up, this tax is an annoyance. However for those in Bremerton making the median household income of $68,556 (data from 2022), this is a painful expense and forces difficult sacrifices and causes more home life stress.
    • My opponent as Representative Hansen voted for SB-5126 showing his disconnect with constituents.
  • Protect the Use of Clean Natural Gas
    • HB1589 passed in March of 2024 began the plan to phase out our choice to use natural gas in name of “Saving the Planet”. I know many who read this are concerned about CO2 emission and how it will affect Earth. Specifically about the Greenhouse effect. However, please consider the following if you currently support the phase out and the actual impact to lower income families:
      • There is no realistic plan to produce enough electrical power to replace the energy from our use of natural gas today. Many residents rely on gas to heat their homes, cook, dry clothes, and provide hot water at an affordable cost. Solar and wind only generate 8.7% of electrical power in Washington State. There is also no realistic plan for energy storage such as batteries to use when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine, even if the power they could produce would be enough to replace natural gas. Are we expecting people to not heat their homes until an economical replacement for natural gas is found?
      • Restaurants also make extensive use of natural gas for their kitchens. A change to electricity is so costly that it may be the difference between staying in business or not.
      • Washington State University (your tax dollars) will end up spending millions to convert its heating system.
      • There is little discussion about the use of nuclear energy to support the base load energy requirements.
        • Nuclear is safe and produces no CO2 emissions during operation.
        • Reactor technology and safety has improved dramatically since the 1970s.
        • We have nuclear fuel to supply our needs for thousands of years.
        • We know how to deal with the 4% of highly radioactive waste created. We have done it for decades with no serious accidents.
        • Why is there so little discussion about nuclear if CO2 is the real reason behind the phase outs? It is as if people’s use of energy is a problem to progressives and CO2 is merely an excuse to reduce the livability of Washington State.
      • Do 97% of actual scientists really agree with doomsday scenarios?
        • They agree that C02 is a greenhouse gas.
        • They agree that human emissions do cause warming, although they do not agree on the proportion that is caused by human activity.
        • They do not agree on the impact to Earth or that a doomsday scenario will arrive for our great-grandchildren.
        • Does China adhere to the Paris Climate Agreement? No
        • How about India? They keep building more coal power plants too.
        • My opponent as Representative Hansen failed to vote No showing his disconnect with constituents.
        • Please vote yes for Initiative 2066 to repeal the unfair phase out of natural gas.
  • Full Funding for K-12 Education
    • The title speaks for itself. I will push for audits of the effectiveness of our education dollars, especially in OSPI and school district contracts with third party entities. The education budget per student in Washington State is $18,364 annually for the 2023-2025 operating budget, more than $3,000 above the national average.  Analysis from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that in 2022, 66% of Washington fourth graders were not proficient in reading and 72% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. This performance is unfair to our children and robs them of earning potential in their future. It sets up life-long disparity between those who get mastery of the academics and those who don’t. Clearly the majority politicians do not understand that we have an education delivery problem, or they are too unimaginative to fix it.  I will work to change the culture in Olympia regarding educating our children.
  • Restore Parental Rights
    • Parents should be assumed to love their children and deserve to have a say in ANY healthcare decision when their child needs them most. There is a reason Nature/God established parents to have primary responsibility for their children. Children are not just “little adults”; they need the guidance and wisdom of their family during phases when they are in school and especially in times of crisis. However, SB5599 thwarts that relationship and assumes the state is “more caring” than parents.
    • I will just come right out and say it, this law is evil and needs to be repealed.
    • My opponent as Representative Hansen voted for SB-5599 showing his disconnect with constituents.
  • Push for Local School Board Control vs State Mandates
    • As school boards are directly elected from the local communities, they alone should have the power to decide what curriculum is to be used. Outside of a an object bar for graduation so that the world is assured that a student actually knows how to read, write, and can do math, most if not all other decisions should be made at the local level. An example of an objective standard would be the GED which is design so that only the top 2/3rds of graduating student would pass.
  • Abolish Civil Asset Forfeiture
    • In 1996 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Civil Asset Forfeiture in the case of United States vs Ursery. The basic idea is that states and the federal government can accuse your property of being involved in a crime and you then have the obligation to prove it’s innocence. This really is as absurd as it sounds. However, by the time you get done with legal fees and time wasted, many will take a settlement or just give up on property seized. While a state senator cannot ban the federal government from this insidious action, we can ban state officers from enforcing such practices.
    • Keep in mind, your property can be seized with just an accusation. This is different from criminal forfeiture where one has to be convicted by a jury of one’s peers before being stripped of property.
    • The states of Maine, Nebraska, North Carolina, and New Mexico have banned the practice. Washington needs to be next, and it will take a change of culture in Olympia to do it. I will be that change agent.
    • More on the topic Civil Asset Forfeiture.
  • Legislation that will Promote Affordable Rental Housing
    • Many individuals and families are in dire need of affordable housing. While landlords are not often loved, encouraging and facilitating more people to become landlords is key to providing abundant and affordable rental properties. By lowering the legal risks and financial traps imposed by the state, landlords will be encouraged to offer housing to more tenants.
    • The state can also help mitigate financial risks for landlords trying to do the right thing by providing security and damage guarantees on behalf of good people who don’t have the money needed for deposits.
  • Funding Homeless Triage Centers to Relocate Those Without Shelter to a Safe Environment
    • Anyone who has spent any time in Bremerton, Seattle, Tacoma, or any other urban area has seen first hand the homeless encampments. Years have gone by, and yet we still see the desperation and suffering of those who have lost their way due to mental illness or drugs living in tents of filth. These same people are often subjected to violent and sexual predators. Our neighbors are also victims of crime stemming from some in the encampments. We can do better and one of the first steps I will push for will be a program modeled after the San Diego project called Sunbreak Ranch. This will provide safety for both the homeless and the residents of Kitsap.
  • Restore Washington State Ferries to High Level of Service and Dependability
    • The availability and reliability of the ferries is another source of pain for many. Resolving staffing issues will start with restoring trust after the firing/force retirements of 137 skilled employees over forced medical mandates. The state will also need to do a market analysis of wages to make sure we are competitive to both hire and retain skilled employees . It also would have been wise to wait for the new electric boats to arrive before taking reliable diesel boats like the Wenatchee (now a year late), and soon the Tacoma, offline for electric conversion.
    • We need to reconsider building reliable diesel power ferries until we can at least get back to a number of boats to fully service each route. Then we can talk about hybrids.
  • Right to Repair
    • Right to Repair is simple. It requires manufacturers to provide owners and independent repair businesses with fair access to service information and affordable replacement parts. So you can fix the stuff you own quickly—and get back on with your life.
      • That sounds great! Who would be against that?
        • Well, manufacturers like John Deere and Apple don’t like the idea. When your tractor breaks or your cell phone stops working, they want to be the only people who can fix it. And they get to set whatever prices they want for parts and service.
      • Is Right to Repair a new concept?
        • Nope! We already have right to repair for cars—that’s why you can take your Ford into a local mechanic. They have all the same software diagnostics and service manuals that the dealerships have. This is the result of decades of auto Right to Repair legislation—laws that have been a resounding success.

Endorsements

Contact Info:

electlancebyrd@gmail.com or 360-552-5801

Website paid for by Lance Byrd.