Meet the Candidate: Larry Hoff, Running for Legislative District 18, Pos. 2

Camas, WA — Longtime Vancouver resident, and retired credit union executive, Larry Hoff, a Republican, is running for the open seat in the Washington State Legislature’s District 18, position 2, which is currently held by retiring Representative Liz Pike, of Camas.

New to the world of politics, Hoff outlined the reasons why he’s running, which are as follows:

• Common Sense
• Education
• Balanced Budget
• Small Business Support
• Transportation

Common Sense

“Our campaign has been received quite well by so many here in our area, and it’s a great honor to run,” said Hoff. “I really want to bring a conservative common sense to the legislature. I’ve been in business for 35 years and there are challenges as to how people are going to pay their tax bills these days. There are many pressures on taxpayers right now, and we need to look at things with a common sense lens, and not be so partisan. If it makes sense do it, if not, then don’t do it.”

To learn more his campaign, visit www.ElectLarryHoff.com

Education

“People are at each other’s throats right now,” said Hoff. “Is there a way we can bring our kids back into focus? We need to make sure the kids are a priority in our education discussions. I’m not the polished politician that comes up with lines. I was on the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation board, and I have a passion for kids. I just have a passion for the children. I’m interested in truly keeping them as a priority for us. I would rather meet with teachers directly, and I want to hear what the challenges are in the classroom. I would spend a day in the classroom to shadow teachers. I would more than enjoy that.”

Hoff said he’s been watching the outcome of the McCleary legislative fixes, and said he’s concerned about the impact, but says it’s too soon to draw conclusions.

“I’m not an expert on McCleary, but the legislation has been put to bed and blessed by the Supreme Court, and there will be course adjustments. I’m not sure the ship has sailed enough to make dramatic course adjustments. When the school districts feel there is an inequity they will address what they feel needs to be done — and we will listen.”

“The alternatives are the school district will ask for more money. Increasing taxes is not a good option. They will have to look at cost cutting. They will also see how this course proceeds and then make legislative adjustments. The levies are cut. I’m not sure now is the time to make dramatic moves. The influx of cash for has been drained through these last union negotiations. I would imagine the unions and districts have to see what is the longevity of this plan. I don’t see the children being mentioned a lot. We have to ask ourselves: ‘In all of these discussions what does that mean to the kids?’”

He said if he wins the seat, his objective will be to listen than to throw out political rhetoric, and will listen to the districts and see what’s been done in the past.

“I will understand the challenges and will listen to all sides. Right now, I believe the legislation has been enacted and we need to see how it plays out. I’m not the type of candidate that will sit here and promise you I have the silver bullet, but I can promise you is that I will lead us in the right direction.”

Balanced Budget

“It’s not what you make, it’s what you spend,” said Hoff. “It’s a simple, but profound statement. The legislature needs to practice good financial practices — and they’re not. There’s no more appetite from the public for anymore tax increases. The Legislature has to live within its means.”

Small Business Support

Hoff has worked in small businesses for 35 years, and he sees the challenges they face.

“I’ve seen what regulations and taxes do to small businesses — L&I, B&O taxes, environment and all of the challenges builders have with those regulations are astronomical.”

He promises to be an advocate for small business.

Transportation

“We have to apply common sense to the transportation issues we face, and figure out the congestion/bridge issue, and we in the Legislature need to assist in that. Congestion, in general, is really bad on the Oregon side. We need to seriously discuss the topic of adding more bridges. We need to make decisions that are more than just answer today’s issues. I imagine the I-5 bridge issue is the most fixable one. You can replace it to eliminate some sense of congestion. But, if we don’t start making decisions for 20-30 years out we will fail the future. We failed 20 years ago when we didn’t make key decisions then.”

Listening

He did address the concerns he hears from school districts about the growing school levy issue.

“The people are justifiably concerned about this levy swap but it was a Supreme Court edict that attempted to equalize the funding model,” said Hoff. “The legislature crafted the legislation and it is now the law of the land. We understand there might be some course correction somewhere. I’m struggling with the course corrections before the ship even sails. Course corrections are increased taxes or decreased costs. School districts will come with several solutions. If indeed they recognize that there are some inequities they will present those to us.”

He’s taking a listen and learn approach.

“We make a mistake if we forget about listening and learning,” said Hoff. “I’m struck with the fact that McCleary has yet to be fully implemented, and we’re already wrestling with changes. It just seems to me that the Legislature did their work, and the Supreme Court did their work, and now we’ll see if their policy becomes as successful as anticipated.”

Hoff said he will look out for the taxpayer at every turn.

“We have to find other ways to resolve these financial issues,” he said “It’s always on the backs of the citizens. The Democrats want a state income tax. That’s not a good option.”

Background

Hoff has lived in the 18th district for over 40 years where he and his wife, Renee, raised their son, Tracy. Their son and their daughter-in-law, Helen, have one son, named Preston. Hoff grew up in a small North Dakota town where he worked on neighboring farms. After high school, he proudly served in the U.S. Navy, and after serving he obtained a degree in accounting from the University of North Dakota. Shortly after, Larry and Renee moved to Clark County, where he joined the Credit Union industry and attained the position of Interim President at Columbia Credit Union. He continued to dedicate a career to growing the financial health of the community, recently retiring as President/CEO of the $1 billion Fibre Federal Credit Union, after having left the credit union through 15 years of solid growth and expanded service offerings.

“I retired on January 1, 2017 and to tell you the truth I didn’t feel like I was contributing in retirement,” said Hoff. “I was searching for a purpose. I love my family and they keep me busy and fulfilled, but I wasn’t giving back to the community as I wanted to, and I learned Liz was retiring, and the position was open, so here I am.”

Is there a blue wave in Washington state?

Data from the primaries show a blue wave is coming, and that the GOP is worried about losing typically safe seats, including LD 18, Position 2.

“We were surprised by the primary results,” said Hoff. “Our effort is to work on promoting the positive parts of what we believe in — and working hard at talking to folks. I’m on the streets every day. I’m getting people to know who I am. I’ve called and knocked on 3,000 doors. We now have teams going on, and that will quadruple.”

We will feature Hoff’s opponent, Kathy Gillespie, a Democrat, on Wednesday.