Letter to the Editor: Toft is in no Position to Lecture on 'Duplicity'

Editor's Note: Mark Mullet submitted this letter to Sammamish-Issaquah Patch in response to a .

To the editor:

My first response is that Brad Toft is not in a position to lecture any resident of our State on "duplicity." Brad's first act when running for his first public office was to write a letter to a King County District Court Judge where he lied under oath. In March of 2012, Brad wrote a letter where he swore under oath (with the penalty of perjury) that a different Brad Toft had committed the violations that were showing up on his record. He asked the judge to vacate the judgment and have his record sealed. The Associated Press proved that he was the "real" Brad Toft who had committed these violations, revealing Brad as somebody who lies under oath to a judge to try and hide his embarrassing civil and criminal history from the voters in our State (http://bradtoftfacts.com). Brad Toft accusing any resident of our State of "duplicity" reminds me of a professional thief who calls the police to complain when his own home gets robbed.  
 
In terms of my position on taxes, let me repeat: I am opposed to a personal income tax and a corporate income tax in Washington State. Hopefully this will settle the issue for the remainder of the campaign. In terms of the two-thirds requirement, I will never vote to overturn this law if voters have passed it at the ballot box. When I check a box saying I support the King County Democratic Platform, I was affirming that I'm not running as an independent, but rather as a Democrat. Every leader in the Democratic party has known since January that I don't support a personal or corporate income tax.
  
Unlike my opponent, I am not hiding from my embarrassing past and like most voters I'm not interested in political theater. Every elected official should be focused on getting our economy moving and making sure our public schools are preparing the next generation to compete in a global economy. I believe my business background both in finance and as the owner of the Zeeks Pizza and the Ben and Jerry's gives me the experience in the private sector to help state government run more efficiently and make the right decisions for our economy.

I have four daughters who will work their way through our public schools. Needless to say, I have a vested interest in being a strong champion for our schools. We need to prioritize early learning; ensure accountability; retain and recruit high quality teachers; and make sure technical training and colleges are affordable and accessible for the kids of Washington State. You can read more about my plans on job creation and our public schools at electmarkmullet.com.

Let's have a vigorous debate over the critical issues facing the voters of the 5th Legislative District. Let's focus on how we create jobs and how we make our public schools the envy of the world. Our state is facing huge challenges. Now is not the time to manufacture quotes or make up the positions of our opponents. Let's respect the process and let voters decide on substance, not misrepresentation of your opponent's position.

Best Regards,

Mark Mullet

Owner of the Zeeks Pizza and Ben and Jerry's in Issaquah

Member of the Issaquah City Council

Candidate for the State Senate in the 5th District