The all-mail, top-two-candidate primary that will decide the contestants for the November ballot ends Aug. 17.

Locally, several state-level incumbents are not seeking re-election or have decided to seek higher office. The result is a number of races lacking an incumbent.

“Part of it is just people are retiring,” said State Rep. Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park, who is running for re-election to her District 32 seat. Kagi indicated the situation regarding incumbents isn’t unique to this area and also admitted there may be other reasons some have chosen to forsake Olympia.

“It hasn’t been much fun these last couple of years,” Kagi said, referring to ongoing budget worries.

The economy and budgets did top the list of issues for most candidates in the following races.

District 32, State Senate

Three candidates are trying for the highest-ranking open seat, currently held by state Sen. Darlene Fairley, D-Lake Forest Park, one of those who decided not to run for re-election. A Republican, Kenmore Mayor David Baker and State Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, are battling it out along with former State Rep. Patty Butler, a second Shoreline Democrat.

Well-known local names, Baker and Chase probably have been getting the most attention. Baker bragged when the Municipal League of King County gave him a higher rating than Chase. But Butler received a ranking equal to that of Baker.

For most of the campaign, Baker has been hammering away on Chase’s support of a state income tax, while bragging he has never voted to raise taxes during six years in office in Kenmore.

“I am concerned that Mayor Baker is getting a free ride,” Chase said. “Not raising taxes is one thing, but spending all the money and then borrowing… to run the city makes me wonder what in the world is going on in Kenmore.”

Chase also attacked Baker over what she referred to as the “Kenmore dump.”

“Everyone remembers the Montlake dump that became the Montlake parking lot of the University of Washington,” Chase added. “But few remember the Kenmore dump.”

For her part, Butler said she has, in the past few years, spent some time unemployed and ended up returning to school, only recently completing a business-management degree from Edmonds Community College. Still, she said she understands firsthand the economic difficulties many of the state’s residents have faced in the last few years.

“I have been living with what a lot of people have been living with as far as the recession goes,” Butler said.

In addition to Kenmore, District 32 encompasses several cities, including Lake Forest Park, Edmonds and Shoreline.

District 32, Pos. 1, State Representative

Vying for the seat Chase’s run for the senate leaves open are three Shoreline residents: former Shoreline mayor Cindy Ryu, a Democrat; current Shoreline Councilwoman Doris Fujioka McConnell, also a Democrat; and, physician Art Coday, the only Republican in the race.

A Shoreline councilmember for three years, McConnell said she has become more and more active in the community over the last two decades.

“This is just a step further into an arena I enjoy… somewhere I can make an impact,” she said of running for state office. In her comments, she emphasized educational issues, noting a deep and longtime involvement in various PTAs. McConnell talked about trimming the fat from state budgets, but also said there may not be much fat left to trim.

First elected in 2006, Ryu lost her seat on Shoreline City Council in November by less than 200 votes. She touted what she called a unique mixture of public and private experience, including years spent with her husband running a local insurance office. Ryu contends Washington needs to raise its revenues in order to avoid even further programmatic and budget cuts.

“Are there any taxes out there we are not collecting that we reasonably could?” she asked.

“I will campaign for lower tax rates, respect for property rights and an improved business climate. I am opposed to a state income tax,” said Coday, who originally intended to run for the U.S. Senate, challenging Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. He pulled out of that race in late May, throwing his support behind Republican Dino Rossi and stating Rossi has the best chance of defeating Murray.

Coday talked later of a 10-percent aggregate cut in state spending, arguing Washington’s budget could absorb that reduction without losing critical programs.

District 32, Pos. 2, State Representative

Incumbent Kagi talked first of wanting to extend the progress she claims has been made in the area of early childhood education and child welfare. To help fund education in general, Kagi supports a 2- to 3-percent state income tax, something her chief opponent, Shoreline Republican Gary Gagliardi flatly opposes.

A business consultant and author of several books on bureaucracy, Gagliardi believes administrative waste is the state’s biggest problem. For example, he argues 41 percent of Washington’s education funding are spent outside the classroom.

Gagliardi and Kagi also clashed on the need for early childhood education. Kagi said research overwhelmingly supports such education, reducing drop-out rates, discipline problems and so on. Gagliardi dismisses any studies pointed to by Kagi.

“The state can’t replace the family,” he said.

Also in the race is 12-time candidate Stan Lippmann, who most recently ran for King County office last year. Lippmann talked on a number of different subjects, primarily attacking what he calls illegal and unconstitutional paper money not backed by any actual gold or silver. He speaks of most current politicians as criminals who have created a fascist dictatorship.

In his statement for the King County voter’s pamphlet, Lippmann again hinted at converting U.S. money. He also talked about promoting alternative transportation and energy sources such as solar thermal and wind turbines.

District 1, Pos. 1, State Representative

No incumbent in this case has equalled a crowded field of five candidates seeking to get through to the November election, including former Bothell Deputy Mayor Sandy Guinn and two other Bothell residents.

Stepping aside is incumbent State Rep. Al O’Brien, D-Mountlake Terrace, who announced after his last campaign in 2008 that he would not run in 2010. O’Brien has endorsed Bothell resident Derek Stanford to replace him.

A journalism and English teacher, Mountlake Terrace Democrat Vince DeMiero named funding for education his top priority. He said the system cannot withstand any further budget reductions.

“We’re not down to the bone, we’ve cut into the bone,” DeMiero said.

“I want the focus to be getting people back to work and on the economy,” said Guinn, who is running as a Republican. She used what she called Bothell’s recent successes as examples of how planning and cooperation among legislators — the latter being something Guinn especially believes she can help foster — can lead to economic successes. She touted as hardly accidental the progress Bothell recently has made in reshaping itself, including the still-recent announcement of a hotel and restaurant planned for Bothell Way Northeast.

A Lynnwood Republican, Dick Lapinski looks to non-Native American casinos as a new revenue source for the state. He wants Washington to allow non-Native casinos to feature slot machines, putting those casinos on the same footing as reservation gambling halls.

A second Bothell Republican in the race, Dennis Richter slammed the state’s spending habits. Richter believes Olympia can cut spending while maintaining many programs simply by better prioritizing spending and being more efficient.

The economy is also on the mind of Democrat Stanford. He claims Olympia can jump-start the economy by accelerating capital projects, generating jobs in the short term and giving the private sector a chance to recover from the recent recession.

District 1, Pos. 2, State Representative

This is another local race lacking an incumbent, in this instance State Rep. Mark Ericks, D-Snohomish. The former Bothell police chief was nominated to head the U.S. Marshall Service for the Western District of Washington. Three political newcomers are attempting to replace him. Of those, Democrat Dave Griffin of Woodinville is possibly the most aggressive in promoting himself as a political outsider.

“My thinking is, why not get some fresh blood into the system?” said Griffin, who also was not shy in stating he recently was downsized out of a longtime management position with a local manufacturer. He said that situation gives him first-hand insight into current economic realities.

Currently secretary of the state Democratic Party, Luis Moscoso of Mountlake Terrace said he spent 30 years in public service before retiring last summer. In terms of issues, Moscoso talked first about transportation questions before touching on economic topics.

“I’m an idealist,” he said, adding he would like to see the state helping as many people as possible, doing whatever it can to lend a hand. But Moscoso also added that, given the current economic climate, some programs may have to be reduced or eliminated.

A Bothell Republican, Heidi Munson may be the polar opposite of the other two candidates, particularly Moscoso. Both her comments and her Web site show a strong and unabashed conservative bent.

“It seems to me the legislature in Olympia doesn’t know or doesn’t want to address what the problems are,” Munson said regarding the budgetary approach of current office holders, after adding her focus would be on creating a sustainable budget.

“It’s easy to blame the legislature,” Moscoso said, though he wasn’t directly responding to Munson. He described the state’s money woes as part of a national and even international recession.