This is part two of a series, which will continue until Election Day, documenting all the lies and smears Geoff Simpson is selling the 47th district voters in a desperate attempt not to lose his job.

In a Covington Reporter article which hits doorsteps Friday, October 24, Geoff Simpson claims:

"[Hargrove] recently proposed balancing the state budget by increasing the sales tax, property tax or both while also cutting funding for education and road improvements."

This is an outright lie and a total fabrication. Hargrove has always said that he will fight against any tax increase, be it on property, sales, gas, or "business and occupation."

In fact, it is Simpson who was the one who wanted to raise property and gas taxes. During the 2007 special session in which the Legislature reinstated I-747, which would have limited property tax increases to 1% a year, Simpson was one of 8 representatives who voted against it (all but one other of whom were from Seattle), saying at the time:

"I voted against 747 at the polls and I'll vote against it here."

Earlier in 2007, he proposed a bill that would index the gas tax to inflation. This would practically guarantee the gas tax would permanently increase, year after year, even if the Legislature didn't expressly approve an increase.

Going back to Hargrove's positions, there is no way he would want to cut funding for education and transportation. His wife and daughters are Auburn High School teachers/coaches! And he talks often about working on transportation projects that relieve congestion. In fact, he told the Washington Prosperity project that once elected, the committee assignments he would seek would be Transportation and Education. It doesn't make any sense that he would try to get on two important committees only to cut funding in those two areas.

This is just another desperate attempt by Geoff Simpson to divert attention away from his lackluster record, such as the fact that all the bills he proposed in 2008 alone would have cost the taxpayers over $35 billion!, even if it means making things up out of thin air! Simpson should stop LYING and start talking about why he wanted to raise taxes.