I just received a political postcard lambasting state senate candidate, and Bothell resident, Dawn McCravey for her “ties” to the oil industry.

The ad features a rubber duck drenched in oil and warns that Dawn will prioritize the interests of “big oil” over the interests of the people she represents.

The attack is funded by labor unions who dislike her stand on charter schools and her opposition to the system of basing teacher retention on seniority rather than performance. It is also utterly ridiculous!

Dawn lives in a middle class neighborhood in Bothell, not exactly the domicile one might expect from an imperious oil baron! She has worked tirelessly for causes she believes in, including improving education for all students in Washington State.

Frustrated by the culture of the local school board, which was routinely ignoring parent concerns, Dawn ran for a position on the board and won. She then proceeded to shake up the insular culture, turning the board into a far more responsive, and effective, organization.

On environmental issues, she has actively campaigned in favor of environmental issues, like saving the North Creek Forest.

Basically, the unions dug up the scandalous tidbits that her husband is employed by an energy company and that her father started a small business in Texas, truing to turn them into a campaign issue.

What they have done instead is reveal how little they have to say!

Teri Patrick, Bothell