Flood relief politics still at high mark

On the heels of a heated back and forth between state Democrats and Dino Rossi over Lewis County flood relief policies in the last week, the bickering continues today on the pages of The Olympian. In an editorial today, the newspaper highlighted the relief funding efforts by three Democratic legislators in the 22nd District, Sen. Karen Fraser (D-Thurston County), Rep. Sam Hunt (D-Olympia) and Rep. Brendan Williams (D-Olympia).

The article also points out that Rep. Hunt is "quick to note that although his Republican colleagues in the 20th District of Thurston County-Sen. Dan Swecker (R-Rochester), and Reps. Gary Alexander ( R-Olympia), and Richard DeBolt, (R-Chehalis)-want to take credit for the flooding dollars, all three voted against the budget that contained the money."

That part did not sit well with Rep. Alexander, who met with the editorial board today to stick up for himself.

"To really minimize the 20th District because of the operating budget is totally false," Alexander said. "First of all because only one of the 22nd District members ever came down, came to any of the meetings in the flood area, and that was Karen (Fraser). We never saw Sam or Brendan (Williams) at all. Nobody got their hands dirty down there form the 22nd District. Nobody helped move hay. Nobody came to look at the devastation. Nobody came to meet with the community when they were so upset and wanted to have a voice in the process other than Dan and Richard and myself."

In the Democrats video from last week, where they bemoaned the use of politics to exploit flood victims, both Swecker and Alexander are shown rejecting the same tactics. Apparently Hunt and Alexander did not get the memo.