Take a Breath: District 10 legislator stays professional in partisan climate

Dave Paul was an educator before he ran for office. He’s still teaching, and still learning. In a political climate packed with insults and accusations that stifle productive debate, how does he manage?

First off, “I don’t spend a lot of time on social media,” says our District 10 Representative, a Democrat. That’s understandable. And refreshing. Most of us can choose our own kind of experience in that online world, but for public leaders, it can be an ugly place of hateful attacks and ridicule. So Paul doesn’t waste time there.

In real life, “I don’t pop off when I’m angry,” Paul says. “It hasn’t served me well. I just don’t put myself in that situation.” The floor of the Legislature can be a challenge. Sometimes, as colleagues get contentious in debate, Paul will pace the aisle to calm himself.

“Insults aren’t how we should be treating each other,” he says. “I do hold people accountable. But getting personal shuts people down. And then, we can never find a way to win them over.” None of this means Paul doesn’t get angry. He is passionate about what he believes is best for his constituents and for the state. But he keeps his behavior in check.

“Americans are looking for functioning adults,” Paul says, with a straight face. You might never guess that’s true. Americans vote some childish behavior into office sometimes. We even cheer it on and claim it’s what we voted for. But Paul is determined to rise above the nonsense.

When he first ran for Legislature in 2018, all three District 10 seats were filled by Republicans. “I thought voters deserved a choice,” Paul says. In short order, he was surprised at how much he respected his opponent, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputy Dave Hayes. “It might have been easier,” says Paul today, “to run against someone I didn’t like. But we focused the campaign on issues, not on people.”

The former adversaries are now allies. In the years since that election, the two have worked together on funding for multijurisdictional drug task forces. “In our region,” says Paul, “the Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit and the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force are doing good work to reduce the flow of illegal drugs, and their work is jeopardized because of the diversion of federal funds.” With mixed results, Dave Paul has worked with Dave Hayes in his role with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office to try to get the funding restored.

In that 2018 campaign, more surprises popped up as Paul doorbelled and engaged with voters in the 10th District. “I ran as an ‘education guy,’” he says, which makes sense. When not in Olympia, Paul teaches political science and serves as director of Community Relations at Skagit Valley Community College. And in recent state budgets, “higher education really took it on the chin.”

So he intended to support paths to post-secondary ed other than 4-year college, paths that would give high school grads more opportunities. He wanted to promote Running Start, career training and collaboration with community colleges and trade unions.

But as he heard the views of his future constituents, “people were most concerned about mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness.” Not necessarily in that order, but people acknowledged they’re tied together. Public awareness on those issues is “not unique to the 10th District. But I was surprised to hear how people agreed on it.”

People might agree on the problem, but there’s no such consensus on solutions. With lives at stake, we quibble about who or what to fight first: drug dealers or addiction, petty criminals or overzealous cops. In recent years, Paul notes, Washington has implemented much-needed reforms to the criminal justice system, “but we didn’t listen enough to law enforcement. So the pendulum swung too far.” To their credit, Paul says, “10th District people didn’t demand abolishing police.”

The people of the 10th are also unified in our dependence on bridges and ferries. Paul’s frustration is evident when he talks about funding. For years, he says, “the Legislature didn’t prioritize ferries. Now we’re trying to make up for that, trying to keep the pressure on.” Paul believes that legislators around the state, even those whose districts aren’t served by ferries, are seeing now how important it is to address a fleet that’s in crisis after years of procrastination. “We need new ferries in every biennium.”

Paul serves on the House Transportation Committee, where he tries to steer funding away from “big shiny new projects” and into maintenance of existing bridges and highways. “The state has hundreds of bridges that need work,” he says, pointing out that our lifeline at Deception Pass is 90 years old. “We need to focus on maintenance and preservation.”

That’s a lot on a legislator’s plate when it’s a part-time job. Legislative sessions only run for a few months, and Paul has found himself reminding surprised constituents that some actions can only be taken when the legislature is in session.

But serving the 10th District means more than sponsoring bills and passing budgets. Paul manages his calendar throughout the year, around his day job at Skagit College, to make time for meetings with constituents, fellow public officials, and inquisitive columnists. He mentions a citizen whose issue Paul couldn’t solve, but they met together with a county official where Paul was able to advocate for the citizen and get some answers.

Paul makes it a point to listen to all of his constituents, even those who disagree or have a beef with him. He tries to clarify what they want to achieve by contacting him. Sometimes, he says, they just need to get things off their chests.

“You might need to vomit to feel better. You might just vomit on my shoes.” The metaphor’s messy, but the point, says Paul, is to find common ground. He has even taken heat from within his own party, when he sits down with people who hold opposing views. “They’re still constituents,” he says, and they deserve to be heard.

That’s civility: a man elected to serve us, who adjusted his priorities after listening and engaging with voters; a man who respects people on the other side, because he knows we’re all on the same team.

There’s a dark side to the job. Like many of his fellow legislators, Paul has received threats over his views. “Things have gotten worse,” he says. “Folks are worried.” The House has safety measures in place, including extra security in the galleries, but the night before Paul and I met, a man was arrested after he broke in and vandalized the capitol building in Olympia.

In that uncertain environment, Paul’s family has always been a part of his decision to run for office. He reaffirms with them every two years. Like most public servants, his work can seep in and affect those closest to him, so it’s crucial to have their support.

We could all learn from this educator, if we stop to listen. Whether we’re civic leaders or not, we can respect our opponents. Listen to those who disagree with us. Be flexible and willing to change. Stay calm in the face of others’ anger. If we do choose to serve our fellow citizens, serve them all, not just a chosen few. And when storms churn outside our doors, look to our loved ones for shelter and guidance.

William Walker’s monthly “Take a Breath” column seeks paths to unity on Whidbey Island in polarized times. He blogs occasionally at playininthedirt.substack.com/.