Sen. Brad Hawkins met with Dan Donohue and Lorah Super of the Okanogan Open Roads Coalition at Twispworks during a visit last week.
State Sen. Brad Hawkins (R-East Wenatchee) heard some common themes during his three-day “listening” tour of the 12th Legislative District, as he individually met with constituents in the four counties that make up the large district.
Hawkins’ stops included Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Chelan, Cashmere, Coulee City, Soap Lake, Waterville, Bridgeport and then Twisp on Thursday (Sept. 13).
A repeated concern he heard, Hawkins said, was how to deal with wildfires in the region. How the fires are fought, and how forests can be made more healthy to mitigate future fires, were topics that constituents wanted to discuss, Hawkins said. “There’s much more interest in forest health,” he said.
Another concern is how to spur rural economic development, Hawkins said. Several communities in the district are working on or interested in pursuing economic development strategies, he said.
Affordable housing, and access to rural broadband communication, came up often as issues, Hawkins said.
Hawkins met with several local individuals and groups during his two hours in Twisp.
During last year’s listening tour, Hawkins said, he heard a lot more conversation about educational funding reform. Since the Legislature’s school funding program took effect, that topic seems to be less urgent, he said.
Hawkins said he and his staff will follow up with responses to questions they weren’t able to answer during the tour.
