Legislative Questionnaire 2022
Candidate Info
Candidate Name: Kevin Lewis
Position Sought: Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, Board Director #3
Are you an incumbent for this position? Incumbent
Home Legislative District: 25th
Are you a Democrat? Yes
Campaign Info
Campaign Manager or Point of Contact: Kevin Lewis
Website:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klewis114/
Twitter:
Part I – Candidate Background
1. Please briefly describe your qualifications, education, employment, community and civic activity, union affiliation, prior political activity, and other relevant experience.
My ability to seek out what is best for the students of our district while utilizing my exceptional leadership skills to listen and engage with all stakeholders. I am recognized for diligent follow up and follow through which creates strong partnering relationships based on trust, respect and credibility. Combined with my extensive work as a parent in the district through PTA and Boosters, as well as volunteering in the classroom gives me a well rounded look at what our students and staff need to be successful.
2. What prompted you to run for this office?
A passion to give back to my community while seeking to know, value and support all students in our district.
3. What are your campaign’s most important themes, issues, or priorities (three to five)?
Most important is to provide what is best for all students. The only way you can do that is through equity. I currently prioritize making sure all students have equitable access to what they need to not only graduate, but to enter the real world ready to take on whatever is the best next step for them. I have already introduced an anti-racism policy in our district and will continue to push this much needed policy through. As well as continue to oppose book banning and anti-trans or anti-gay rhetoric.
4. What steps are you taking to run a successful campaign?
I have hired a campaign consulting firm to help guide my campaign. I have already printed and started to distribute yard signs. In addition I will be doing text campaigning and doorbelling. I have also agreed to participate in the League of Women’s Voters forum.
Part II – Yes or No Questions, please qualify your response if necessary
1. Do you support steps to build a fairer economy through tax reform, including a wealth tax? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #1 I believe we have too large of a wealth gap. A country and economy function best when there is a safety net in place for all citizens. No one should be bankrupted because of illness, no one should have to work three jobs to afford the basics and no one should be able to hoard away wealth that can’t be spent in multiple generations.
2. Do you support the right of public workers, excluding military, to bargain and strike? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #2 The most basic rights we all have as workers are the results of groups striking for better working conditions.
3. Do you support legalizing multi-unit homes statewide, as proposed in the #Homes4WA bill, to help alleviate the affordable housing crisis? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #3 Affordable housing is one of the most basic rights we should have access to as humans, I am in support of anything that makes it affordable to put a roof over ones head.
4. Do you support legislation to address climate change and protect our environment, including the Keep Washington Evergreen Act? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #4 The environment is one of the most important things we need to protect, without it we have nothing. We need to be doing more and faster if we want to have any chance of halting or reversing climate change.
5. Do you support women’s unrestricted access to reproductive healthcare? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #5 A women’s ability to make decisions about their own bodies is 100% up to them and no one should be telling them what to do.
6. Do you support achieving a universal, affordable, quality single payer healthcare program? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #6 I can only imagine a world where your career path is not dictated by the need for health insurance. Healthy insurance should not be tied to your job and no one should be bankrupted by an unexpected diagnosis.
7. Do you support overturning “Citizens United” and imposing limits on campaign finance contributions? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #7 We need money out of politics, there is no way we can truly trust the system when money is involved.
8. Do you support laws regulating the purchase, ownership, and carrying of firearms? Yes
Optional: Qualify Your Response to #8 Guns are dangerous, especially in untrained hands. We absolutely need to regulate who can own them and require recurrent training to continue to possess them.
Part III – Free Response (Please answer at least four questions fully, consider the remaining three optional)
1. Why are you running as a Democrat? What aspects of the Democratic platform most resonate with you?
The position I am running for is non-political. However I still consider myself a democrat because I belief in a liberal agenda that helps everyone, not just the wealthy.
2. What important state and local issues have you worked on (or taken an interest in) that you feel aren’t getting enough attention from elected leaders and the media?
Anti-racism, transphobia, homophobia are things I have worked against as a current board director. On my own time I have worked with gun reform advocacy groups, even speaking at committee hearings in Olympia on banning large capacity magazines and prohibition of guns at protests.
3. What legislative reforms do you support to achieve greater equity and inclusion for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals in our communities?
When it comes to the BIPOC community I support anything that helps to undo the unjust actions and laws of the past such as red-lining, loan discrimination, etc. that prevented entire generations from acuminating generational wealth through home ownership. For the LGBTQIA+ community we need to continue to create legislation that creates safe spaces and environments where people can be themselves and add protections for them as equal citizens.
4. What are some obstacles inherent in proposed legislative solutions to climate change? How would you approach those obstacles in order to best overcome or minimize any negative effects?
The main obstacle is trying to compromise with people or entities that don’t believe in climate change. I would approach these obstacles by engaging with those that are actually interested in making lasting change and knowing who is just trying to stop the work that needs to be done.
5. What safety, law, or justice reforms are you currently in favor of, and how will you work to implement them?
I will continue to make sure our school district has a safe environment for all students. Whether that involved policies that protect all students as well as security for our buildings to keep mass shooters out.
6. What steps do you think need to be taken to improve voter turnout and increase voter trust in our election process?
We need to get money out of politics, implement term limits, ban gerrymandering and promote politicians that don’t engage in false voter fraud narratives.
7. Do you think public schools are adequately funded? If not, what minimum requirements should be met in an adequately funded public school system? What specific forms of taxation would you support to attain that funding?
No I do not think they are adequately funded. The minimum requirements should be updated buildings, enough bus drivers to cover all routes, programs that promote vocational education as well as college readiness and technology that is current to the time for students to utilize. On the tax front we need to start by closing loopholes on corporations and the wealthy so they can contribute in a more meaningful way. We also need to move away from the Levy and Bond model that is not an equitable means to collect taxes, it only benefits the more affluent areas due to higher home prices.
Printed Name Kevin Lewis
Date (mm/dd/yy) 06/27/2023
