Re-introducing Bob Baker

I’d like to re-introduce Bob Baker, a Mercer Island resident, who is the 41st District Republican candidate for the Washington State Senate. Bob, a native of Indiana, graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Computer Science. He spent 21 years in the Navy and retired with the rank of Commander. He was a Top Gun fighter pilot and graduated with distinction from the naval test pilot school. While working with the Pentagon as a project manager, he managed multi-million dollar budgets. For the past 12 years, Bob has been a captain flying for Alaska Airlines.

Let me assure you that Bob is an honest, ethical, hard-working family man who you can trust.

Bob is active in the community, on the board of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, Committee Chairman for the National Pilots Union, Rotary member, Senior Services Volunteer, Eastside Transportation Association member, and Chamber of Commerce, plus Mercer Island PTA volunteer. Bob and his wife, Robin, are happily married and live on Mercer Island with their children.

Issues greatly concerning Bob include the tax-and-spend mentality that permeates Olympia. Just in the last four years, with a Democrat governor and the Democrats in control of both issues of the legislature, state spending has increased by more than 33 percent. In 2005, taxes were increased by $400 million to cover added spending. Bob and Dino Rossi have a 10-point plan to decrease traffic congestion by building more roads and using transit.

Bob is endorsed by: Republican Senate Campaign Committee, Congressman Dave Reichert, former Senator Jim Horn, Senator Val Stevens, State Representative Dan Kristensen, State Republican Party Chairman Luke Esser, Kemper Freeman, Don Davidson and Conrad Lee (Bellevue City Council), David Irons (King County Council), Mike Cero (Mercer Island City Council), KCGOP Chairwoman Lori Sotelo, Jane Hague and many others in our business community and Republican Party.

We have a chance to make a real difference. For four years, the state Senate seat has been in Democrat hands — but with the incumbent, Brian Weinstein, not running again, we have the chance to put our District back in the Republican column. Let’s do it!

Betty Emanuel

Newcastle PCO