With incumbent Maralyn Chase hoping to make a jump to an open state senate seat, the competition for state representative in District 32 is another among several wide-open contests local voters will take the first steps toward deciding during the Aug. 17 primary.

In addition to Kenmore, District 32 encompasses several cities, including Lake Forest Park, Edmonds and Shoreline. All three candidates vying for the seat are Shoreline residents.

One is a former Shoreline mayor who lost a bid for reelection to that’s community’s City Council in November, while another is a current Shoreline councilmember.

The only Republican in the race, a physician, Art Coday, did not return phone calls requesting comment.

A member of Shoreline’s City Council for three years, Doris Fujioka McConnell, 57, 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.

While many candidates in the current primary have talked extensively about the economy, McConnell chose to focus on education. She believes she’s the strongest candidate on that issue, noting she spent many years in leadership positions in various PTAs, winning a couple of awards along the way.

According to McConnell, the first step in aiding education in the state is for Olympia to stop creating unfunded mandates. She said cuts may have to be made in education and elsewhere.

But McConnell also noted “trimming the fat” may not be enough at this point to help the state out of its budget problems.

“The fat is getting really lean,” she said. “There is not much left to trim.”

In November, Cindy Ryu, 52, lost her bid for re-election to Shoreline City Council by less than 200 votes. She had been on council since 2006, elected mayor by her colleagues in 2008.

Ryu said she always wanted to run for a state legislative spot, but also vowed she would never run against an incumbent Democrat. When Chase decided not to run for re-election, Ryu said that opened the door for her.

Ryu believes she carries with her a unique combination of public- and private-sector experience. Along with her husband, Ryu ran an insurance firm for many years before retiring from that business three years ago. She now runs several commercial properties, specifically, shopping strips.

In terms of the state economy, 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.

Ryu said that specifically she wants to study closing certain exemptions, some of which she further contends never were intended to be permanent.

On his Web site, Coday describes himself as a conservative Republican. He talks in general terms of making the state friendlier to business, of creating jobs by lowering taxes on businesses.

“I will campaign for lower tax rates, respect for property rights, and an improved business climate,” he said, coming out against a state income tax.

Coday originally intended to run for the US 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.