Ike throws hat into House race

Improving the conditions of Hood Canal is just one of the reasons Bill “Ike” Eickmeyer said was behind his fourth campaign for re-election to the House 35th District Position 2.

“I don’t want to walk away from this because that body of water is sacred to me,” the Democrat from Belfair said during a recent interview. “What’s going on in the Canal is a natural problem that’s been accelerated by human abuse.”

Eickmeyer said there’s a number of difficulties getting legislators to understand what’s going on with the Hood Canal due to its complex nature. “It’s taking a long time,” he said. One of the ways he says could relieve pollution would be through the creation of a sewer system around the Canal. “That’s going to take a lot of time and a large commitment from the feds and state along with the homeowners.”

He said he helped secure funding for a pilot project by the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group which could form the base for future legislation.

Eickmeyer said he will likely chair the trade and economic development committee if re-elected, as well as serve on the House committees for agriculture and natural resources, capital budget and rules.

Chairing the economic development committee will be a boost to his campaign to eliminate a portion of the state business and occupation (B&O) tax that could put a business out of business.

“It doesn’t make sense to have a tax that puts people out of work,” said Eickmeyer, who is the executive director of the Sound Institute of Family and Children’s Services which has offices in Bremerton and Silverdale. “We received support on both sides of the aisle last session and now we’re working on a way to make it functional and hopefully we’ll find the keys to make it work.”

Eickmeyer’s only opposition won’t likely come until November when he’ll face Silverdale resident Robert Benze, a Republican.

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