POLITICS 2020: Q&A With 18th Legislative District Candidate Donna Sinclair

This is our interview with Donna Sinclair, a Democratic candidate running for Washington’s Legislative District 18, Position 2.

Question 1: What are the top reasons you are running for office?

My top reasons are related to watching the partisanship divide all around our community, and I want to bridge the gap between the GOP and Democrats. I’m prepared to do it. 

I am super resistant to labels, I care about this district. I care about the future of Clark County. I’ve done a lot of work with the Clark County Historical Museum. If we talk to each other one-on-one, then we can put aside the partisan blinders. What matters is our families, our jobs, our health care. I think I can bring people together. I don’t like the labels.

My family is very Libertarian, especially my East Coast family.

I want to start with building a vocational technical center out in the north part of Clark County. That will help us. I currently serve on the Washougal School Board. I know what’s happening at all levels. I want to build this center as an infrastructure investment. That would be a priority for me for a lot of reasons. 

We need to improve our infrastructure, increase broadband capacity so people have better access to the Internet. Affordable health care is a priority. 

We need an economy that will work for all of us. My background is from a working class family. I grew up waiting tables. I know what it’s like to be a waitress. I will advocate for small businesses.

Question 2: How does your experience qualify you for this position?

I’m an Oral Historian and ran a business out of my home, and I’ve juggled multiple part time jobs, so health care is a big deal for me. I will advocate for health care. Right now, I have health care because I teach at Western Oregon University and that’s very helpful.

The state passed the public option last year, and that was a good thing. My opponent voted against it. Those are the kinds of things we need to do with this complex health care system that is such a mess. The cost of insurance has gotten really high. 

Question 3: How do we get past this pandemic?

I see that most people are wearing face masks, but not everyone is wearing them, and some aren’t wearing them correctly — pulled down below the noses. Most of transmission is happening in small groups. I see people in small groups taking photos, but they get spread and don’t even know it. We are living it right now. We know what the patterns are. 

Question 4: You work as an Oral Historian. What does your job entail?

An Oral Historian is someone who records the memory of people about past experiences. It’s a great job, I love it. As a young single mom and I went to school and learned about public history and I made money by transcribing oral history interviews. I ran major oral history programs. I have learned so much. They go into archives and get preserved for hundreds of years. 

Question 5: What has serving on the Washougal School Board taught you?

I have been there since 2017 and I think that it’s prepared me to understand the complexity of education funding. I know what it’s like to have a child here in this school district. These are the kinds of experiences I can add to the table. I see how it works.

Question 6: Why should citizens of the 18th Legislative District vote for you?

I hope that people will consider voting for me because I understand communities. I have a working class background that is combined with policy education. I have lived through poverty, a lack of access to health care, and I think I can hear people differently than perhaps other legislators that haven’t experienced those things. 

I want us to be able to work together. 

I think it would be beneficial to the 18th to have a Democrat in the legislature who could bring issues on behalf of our district to the majority party. I think I would be able to work with Ann Rivers (if she wins), because I’ve met her. She’s a former teacher and has been willing to work across party lines when it benefits the public. I appreciate that. I think that would be possible because, as a school board member, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with her several times and have had experiences in which we seemed to be connecting on issues that could help with problem solving. I think it would be possible to get to know one another better and put forward some legislation that would benefit the district. 

You have to listen to people. We have to recognize people are human. We need to see across the spectrum regardless of who we talk to you. 

Question 7: What is your position on transportation issues?

Transportation is another reason I think it would be beneficial to have a Democrat in the 18th – to bring the resources back to the district. I know that bipartisan efforts have begun on the I-5 bridge. That needs to continue. I’d like to see an east county bridge to Gresham, eventually, but it doesn’t just happen because we say we want it. That sort of long-term transportation planning requires developing partnership relationships across the river and getting buy-in. I understand those planning processes and would initiate it when elected. As someone who has spent hours sitting on the bridge, wasting my time and money, I am committed to doing what it takes to reduce the waste. 

To learn more, visit www.sinclair4state.com