Prescott announces bid for legislature

Point Roberts attorney and water commissioner Tom Prescott has set his sights on the state legislature.

After first announcing in the state senate race against Georgia Gardner, Prescott decided to switch races this week after consulting with other Whatcom County Republicans. He now intends to run against Kelli Linville for the 2nd position representative for the 42nd district.

Prescott is focusing his campaign on economic recovery. “We’ve got to do something in Whatcom County before the county dies,” Prescott said of what prompted his decision to run. “We need to find ways to reduce and simplify all the regulations imposed on business so people can focus on doing their business, not doing paperwork for the government.” Prescott specifically criticized new regulations for ergonomics in the workplace. “It’ll either drive prices through the roof or drive people out of business.”

Prescott also said he favored tax relief for businesses and other measures to make the county a more business friendly place. “I don’t think there’s a quick fix but we need to get people to want to do business here. The only growing business in the county seems to be government and call centers.”
Prescott also said the state needed to watch its dollars more closely. “We could do a better job balancing the budget rather than going deeper into the hole,” he said. “You have to treat it like you would a family budget. Find out what you can afford and what you’ll have to go without.”

If Prescott is successful in making it to Olympia, he’ll be the first one from Point Roberts. State records since 1933 do not show any members from Point Roberts and Pauline DeHaan of the historical society said there is no information that anyone from the Point was ever elected to state legislature. “He’d be the first, as far as I know,” she said of Prescott.

Will a state representative calling Point Roberts home make any difference in how much state attention local issues get? Would it improve the local economy? “I don’t know,” Prescott said. “If we build the economy in Whatcom County some of it will come to Point Roberts, let’s hope.”

Prescott said tourism was likely to be the backbone of the Point Roberts economy and he would push for support of the project to build a pier at the foot of Gulf Road as an enhancement to the Point’s appeal to visitors.

However, he would not support a car ferry to Blaine, a project supported by senator Georgia Gardner. ‘It’s not viable,” he said. ‘The trip would take too long and where would it go?” He said he would potentially support passenger service to the San Juan Islands and Bellingham, but not state-run. “I don’t think it’s up to the state to do it but if someone wanted to do it privately, I think it would be fun.”

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