Protecting the rural way of life by fighting back against unnecessary regulation and taxes that are crushing the American spirit will define Andrew Engell’s campaign and political service.
Colville, Washington — Andrew Engell of Colville, Washington, has announced he is running for Washington’s 7th Legislative District, for the seat currently held by Jacquelin Maycumber who is now running for Congress.
As a public servant and an entrepreneur, Engell is active in the northeastern Washington community. Currently the Deputy District Director for Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, he has worked in the political world for nearly a decade and plans to leverage that knowledge to the benefit of his constituents and their next generations. He will continue his current practice of visiting with constituents and businesses for direct feedback to make sure the voters are represented. “This is an important facet of working for the people,” shares Engell.
Having lived in Stevens County for over 30 years, since he was nine years old, Engell has a passion for the rights and needs of rural life. He plans to represent the concerns of rural Washington by fighting against regulations impacting life here: “Urban legislatures need to understand that what is important for rural areas can fit in with their urban needs.”
His top concern is public safety – from rising crime rates and substance abuse, to school security and predators decimating ungulate wildlife, livestock, and pets, and all matters in between. “I do not believe the current relaxed policies on crime control and substance abuse are helping the vulnerable members of the community,” details Engell.
Homelessness is a complex issue with many contributing factors which requires involved and in-depth solutions, as Engell assesses the situation. “These are important social issues which go hand-in-hand with the economic challenges our region, our state and our country,” Engell explains
The underlying factors to almost everything nowadays are the regulations and administrative codes of our state. “Regulatory complexity is making it a lot harder to live and do business in Washington state. With the state constantly adding more and more restrictions, you’re seeing the mom-and-pop stores giving up, going out of business and things consolidating more and more to the corporate interests. It is draining the American spirit out of the people.”
The increasing complexity has made it hard for youth starting out in life. Andrew was 19 when he opened his first business: a mobile pressure washing service. “We had a state office in Colville. I remember going in and describing what I wanted to do, finding out which licenses I needed and in which order to do what. I probably went in there six or seven times before I finally bought the license and started a business.” Fast forward to today, “We don’t have a state office in Colville. In fact, the nearest office is in Spokane. It just makes things harder for business owners and especially for new business owners. Some regulations are necessary. The purpose of government is to protect people’s rights to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. A lot of the regulatory complexity has a very minimal value in protecting people’s rights and a very big cost,” summarizes Engell. He wants to advocate for a state where people want to conduct business and raise a family.
Taxes are an important issue for Engell. Taxes such as the ones on gas, “disproportionately affect rural or low-income residents far more than higher income level or urban residents.”
Engell is a strong believer in the Second Amendment and has followed closely the erosion of the rights guaranteed therein. He says its main purpose “was not to be able to hunt, but to ensure power remained with the people. The First and Second Amendments are what keep a tyrannical government from taking over.” Engell believes finding ways to protect Freedom of Speech is crucial as well.
Forest management and especially mitigating wildland fires is an aspect of rural life Engell plans to approach with broad collaboration at many different levels. As he explains, “That is something where I see a lot of opportunity to achieve improvements.”
Engell’s first representative work was on the Chewelah Farmers Market board where he ensured the vendors’ interests were heard by the board for several years during which he and his wife ran an organic farm. Other community organizations where he volunteered include 14 years as a firefighter/EMT with the Addy Fire Department, six years with Colville Rotary in various capacities including being the current president, seven years on the Stevens County Farm Bureau board including being the State Farm Bureau Policy Development Committee member from Stevens County, chairman of the Addy Rescue Mission (food bank) board for seven years and multiple others.
The initial list of endorsements for Andrew Engell will be released soon. Engell extends an open invitation to everyone with questions, concerns or general comments to contact him at info@electandrew.com.
The 7th Legislative District is 20 percent of the Washington map. It reaches from East Wenatchee to the Idaho border including all or part of Douglas, Grant, Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens County, Pend Oreille and Spokane counties.