Small business owner and Decatur Island resident John Swapp has announced his campaign for the state senate in the 40th Legislative District.

“I’m running for the senate because our community and the people of this state need a calm, practical decision maker to help restore the state’s weakened economy and turn around years of poor financial choices,” Swapp said. “We need to create the conditions that will spur companies to hire. We need to protect our citizens’ property rights and protect our unique way of life in the 40th.”

John plans to make job creation and sound fiscal policies the main focus of his campaign. John has been in business for 15 years and prior to that worked as a manufacturing engineer for a Seattle aerospace company. As the founder of a startup business, and with his personal experiences creating a payroll, he said, he recognizes that the decisions made in Olympia impact businesses and job creation.

“We need employment to be expanding, not stagnating. There is no financial discipline in Olympia,” he said. “It’s easy for government to add costs to families and employers through carelessly adding regulations and taxes, but I believe that the real answer is to simplify government. No government in history has really improved society by continuously adding regulations, taxes and laws.”

Swapp is running as an “Independent-GOP” this year.

“Too often the extremes at either end of the political spectrum drown out the practical voices in the middle, and unfortunately, that’s what has happened here,” Swapp said. “We deserve a State Senator who represents all of the people, not just a polar extreme. It’s time for a change.”

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