Looking for info on WA governor candidates? Let the edit board help

While school just got out for most of Washington’s students, adults, you need to buckle down.

Your homework is just starting for choosing the candidates who have the best chance of success in jobs from governor to state schools chief to state representative.

For the first time in 12 years, the governor’s seat is open as Gov. Jay Inslee serves his last year in the job. The Times editorial board has been researching and writing about that important race. Today, we roll out the second of three weekly examinations of the leading candidates, comparing and contrasting how they differ on climate and transportation. Last week, we put their solutions for Washington schools under the microscope. On June 23, we’ll look at public safety. Be sure to watch the videos embedded in each story online; hear the candidates talk about the issues in their own words.

We arrived at the four leading candidates for governor based on campaign, depth of platforms and fundraising. They are, in alphabetical order, Republican Semi Bird from Richland; Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Seattle; Democratic state Sen. Mark Mullet from Issaquah; and former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Chelan Republican.

We are calling on the next governor to tackle the important issues of education, transportation and climate, and public safety.

We started with education. After several years of the McCleary litigation, in which the Supreme Court ruled the state’s school financing system was unconstitutional, no doubt you know it is the state’s constitution-mandated “paramount duty” to educate students.

On today’s Page D1, columnist and editorial writer Josh Farley tackles another vital issue in our state in urgent need of attention: transportation. Washington’s next governor will face a vast backlog of increasingly costly projects — and nowhere near the money to pay for them all. He drew on extensive reporting, candidate questionnaires and video interviews, which we are sharing with readers today.

This is a big election year, besides the race at the top of the ticket. Washington’s nine constitutional offices are up for election — and along with governor, three are open seats: attorney general, and commissioners of public lands and insurance. The editorial board will publish recommendations on these offices and legislative races before primary ballots are mailed July 19. We offer them for readers’ consideration, knowing our advice will be among many sources.

Meantime, take a look at our columns on gubernatorial candidates and watch the videos to see for yourself what they plan to do in these important areas.