Rolfes readies for first term in Olympia

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, December 20, 2006

POULSBO — After defeating incumbent 23rd District state Representative Bev Woods in the November general election, Christine Rolfes got right to work.

The former Bainbridge Island city councilwoman will join the Democratic supermajority in the state House along with fellow 23rd District Rep. Sherry Appleton (D-Poulsbo).

As she prepares for her first term, Rolfes said working on improving the state’s public education and healthcare systems are among her top priorities.

“There is a balancing act,” she said. “We need to do what we can to fix it now, but also invest in it for the long term.”

The Legislature can’t expect increased funding to resolve the issues associated with both the public education and healthcare systems, she said. There must be accountability as well.

To the that end educationally, Rolfes said even though the Washington Assessment of Student Learning has been the target of statewide criticism, she’s not in favor of removing it as a high school graduation requirement.

“The WASL isn’t perfect, but it’s a standardized test that shows how our schools are doing with our kids,” she said.

While there is only so much that can be accomplished during one Legislative session, Rolfes stopped short of stating any concrete goals, but said her expectation is for progress to be made on those priority fronts.

During the past two years, cities across the state have been in the throes of updating their comprehensive plans as mandated by the state’s Growth Management Act. That process has generated a new round of discussion about how to meet the act’s requirements.

“Bainbridge Island isn’t just an anomaly, the Kitsap Peninsula is,” she said.

For GMA to work properly, the state can’t mandate a “one size fits all” approach, she said.

“There’s no one plan that works, and the state Legislature and local governments need to work together,” she added.

From the experience of working with the Bainbridge Island City Council, Rolfes said one of the strengths she brings to Olympia is in working with local governments.

While she and her predecessor had their share of differences during the campaign season, the two agreed that the Washington State Ferries System is wrought with issues that must be addressed by the Legislature.

“There are some long-term financial sustainability issues about how they’re being run today,” she said.

The major question is how does the state ensure the system’s future viability without relying on the farebox alone, she said.

As a statewide work group prepares to make its recommendations on the ferries system’s long-range plan, the Legislature must act on those recommendations, she said.

However, when it comes to acting for and representing her constituents in Olympia, Rolfes said she doesn’t see individual areas or cities.

“I look at what we have as a Kitsap delegation,” she said. “There are nine legislators, and all of us work with each other very well.”