As has been the case throughout the current election season, the No. 1 topic was the economy.

And as has been the case throughout the current election season, the candidates on the stage showed marked differences in how they would solve the state’s presumed money problems, with approaches often seeming to follow party lines.

About a dozen candidates involved in area races took part the afternoon of Sept. 24 in an election forum at the Northshore Senior Center, airing their opinions and differences before about 30 voters.

The event was co-sponsored by the Northshore Center and the League of Women Voters of Greater Seattle, moderated by League President Allison Feher.

On the general topic of the economy and taxes, Republican candidates largely argued the state has plenty of money, but Olympia’s incumbents don’t seem to know how to spend it. Democrats had various ideas, including combining state departments and undertaking various tax reforms.

“We need to restructure government to do what the public wants us to do,” said Mountlake Terrace Democrat Luis Moscoso, who hopes to take the soon-to-be vacant state-representative seat in District 1, Position 2. His opposition, Bothell Republican Heidi Munson, said state incumbents and others have talked extensively about budgets being cut to the bone during the recent recession.

But Munson was also the first to argue legislators didn’t cut anything, that spending actually increased in the last state budget. Running for state senate in District 32, Kenmore Mayor David Baker agreed.

“We need to learn to live within our means,” said Republican Baker, who, as he has in the past, trumpeted the fact Kenmore has never raised taxes during his tenure in office there.

“We cannot allow government to grow and grow and grow,” said Bothell’s Dennis Richter, running Republican for District 1, Position 1, state representative. Opposing Richter, Bothell Democrat Derek Stanford said Olympia could look at consolidating and streamlining some of its operations. He said several state departments, all dealing with environmental issues, could be put under one roof.

While Republicans preached the party line of spending less, vying with Baker for the open state senate seat, State Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, noted Washington is near the bottom among the 50 states in spending on basic education.

“We need to at least get to average,” Chase said.

After the economy, education was probably the next biggest topic during the Northshore forum. Shoreline Republican Gary Gagliardi is taking on incumbent State Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park. He was highly critical of the state’s education system and was taken to task for that opinion by Kagi. Gagliardi claimed, along with Baker, that only 59 cents of every dollar spent on education reaches classrooms.

With a strong interest in children’s issues such as early education, Kagi countered that Washington’s students have some of the highest SAT scores in the country, as well as one of the highest percentages of students taking the standardized college entrance exam. She agreed with Gagliardi that Washington has an unsavory drop-out rate. But, as an example of how budget cuts have hurt the schools, she contended that the Northshore School District had a great program to address its drop-out rate, but that program became a funding casualty.

The various candidates were also asked if they saw any problems with the voter initiative system now in place. Again, answers largely split on party lines. Baker, Munson and other Republicans criticized Olympia for allegedly taking advantage of the rules, which allow legislators to overturn initiatives two years after passage. Chase argued it is the duty of elected officials to review the effects of initiatives and act accordingly.

Candidate for District 32, Position 1 state representative, former Shoreline Mayor Cindy Ryu said the practice of paying persons to help gather names on initiative petitions “demeans” the process, allowing monied interests a greater say. Kagi contended special interests plan to spend $14 million on the initiative that would remove taxes on soda and other beverages, a tax Kagi said, for example, amounts to 2 cents on a can of pop.

Ryu’s opponent, Shoreline Republican Art Coday said a lack of leadership in the state explains why there are so many public initiatives on the ballot. On the budget in general, Coday fell in line with other Republican candidates, saying the state needs to learn to do more with fewer dollars.