Foreman Says He’S Running For Governor Conservative Gop Chairman Lambastes Locke, Would Allow Most Field Burning

Fiery Republican state Chairman Dale Foreman offered himself Thursday as a “common-sense conservative” challenger to a governor he derided as “Gary Gridlock.”

Foreman said he offers a blend of hard-right conservatism and John McCain-style appeal to independents and so-called Reagan Democrats. He attacked liberals, bureaucrats, labor bosses and “environmental extremists” and vowed to bring sweeping change to an office the Democrats have held for 16 years.

“Gary Locke may be a nice man, but he is a terribly ineffective, weak governor,” Foreman said.

Foreman accused Locke of failing to fix severe traffic congestion, improve schools, hold down housing prices and pare back the state bureaucracy. He also blamed Locke for the Legislature going into overtime.

Locke has been on the opposite side of the majority of voters on many recent state ballot measures, including last fall’s tax-revolt Initiative 695, Foreman said. “Gary Gridlock is out of touch with the people.”

Foreman, 51, is the first GOP candidate with a statewide following to announce a run for governor. The former House majority leader finished a close second in a crowded primary four years ago.

He’s a Harvard-educated attorney who grew up in Seattle and has a law practice and orchards at Wenatchee.

Foreman may face a challenge from conservative West Side radio commentator John Carlson, a longtime ally who plans to enter the race soon.

Foreman had nothing but good things to say about Carlson and said the primary won’t get nasty.

“He’s a good friend of mine,” Foreman said. “He’s a good man. He’s a very capable radio broadcaster, and I hope he will remain one.”

State Sen. Harold Hochstatter, R-Moses Lake, also announced his candidacy last week.

In his announcement speech, Foreman painted a dire picture of the state’s fortunes under Democrats. “For 16 years, the liberal governors have pushed a radical agenda,” he said. He did not give specifics.

Democrats, in league with “their allies, the labor union bosses and the environmental extremists,” have failed to solve some of the state’s nagging problems and have undercut citizens’ constitutional rights, Foreman claimed.

He also said he would push for education reform, including charter schools and merit pay for teachers.

In an interview in Spokane later in the day, Foreman said he wants to phase out the state’s portion of the property tax assessment in two to four years and offset the loss in revenue by cutting the number of state employees.

He also promised to appoint a director of the state Department of Ecology “who has a balanced approach to natural resource issues.”

That would allow “normal and customary agricultural practices, which include field burning,” Foreman said. But, he said, he would consider some limits on grass and wheat-stubble burning near metropolitan areas as long as government isn’t trying to micromanage agriculture.

Staff writer Jim Camden contributed to this report.