Spirited GOP primary race for state Senate seat in southwest county
But Stream, a former state representative and ex-
Koenig and Stream, who expect to spend around
Meanwhile,
The
Stream, 67, served eight years in the House, the maximum allowed under
He cites his role as chairman of the
Another high point, he says, was his role as House sponsor of a bill to limit student transfers from school districts losing state accreditation. The measure, passed in 2014, was vetoed by Democratic Gov.
Stream also points to his naval service and decades of work as a civilian budget and project manager for the
"I've got a lot of life experience that he doesn't have," Stream says of Koenig, 33.
Koenig, who owns a small construction company, is finishing up his eighth and final year in the House. He emphasizes his efforts to curb special tax breaks for certain businesses and promises to continue doing that in the
An example, he says, was his key role in passing a bill this year that puts new restrictions on tax-increment financing deals, or TIFs, offered by municipalities to developers in
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"Corporate welfare has run rampant all over the place," he said.
He also advocates eliminating or reducing the state's various tax credit programs.
Also on the tax front, Koenig cites his role in passing a 2014 bill to mandate cuts in the state income tax when state revenue totals reach specified levels.
Stream also voted for the tax cut bill and says had he been in the Legislature this year he probably would have voted for the TIF restrictions as well. As for tax credits, he says each program should be evaluated yearly on its merits and whether the state gets a good return.
Tax issues also have been raised in TV ads in the race. For example, a Stream commercial proclaims that Koenig supported imposing taxes "on every haircut, day-care bill and doctor's visit."
That's a reference to Koenig's sponsorship over the years of unsuccessful measures to eliminate the state income tax and replace it with a higher sales tax on a broader base.
In response, Koenig said he views the bills as a reform in the way taxes are applied, not a net increase. He noted that Stream voted for a similar bill in 2009.
The Stream ad also makes the point that while Koenig says he's against corporate welfare, he has voted for "even more crony capitalism." Koenig said he has sometimes voted for bills including tax breaks if they also include provisions to reduce other tax incentive programs.
A Koenig commercial, meanwhile, hits Stream for voting in 2014 for a state sales tax hike for road and bridge work across
Stream points out that the bill merely called for a statewide election on the tax, which was turned down by voters.
Regarding the future, Stream says the Legislature should try again to come up with a solution for the
Koenig proposes coming up with more money for roads by cutting in half the tax credit programs for historic preservation and low-income housing. He also says he's open to discussing toll roads.
The Koenig ad also criticizes Stream for giving money to Democratic campaigns.
Stream said that refers to his county executive campaign covering some printing costs of North County Democrats who crossed party lines to support him against Democratic nominee
Stream, whose daughter died of bulimia in 1995, gained notice for his advocacy over the years of a bill to require health insurance to include comprehensive eating disorder coverage.
Such a bill, which Stream says is "going to actually save lives," finally passed last year after he was out of the Legislature. Koenig said he opposed the bill because he doesn't like to add new government mandates regarding health care.
The two, meanwhile, agree on supporting abortion restrictions and gun rights and opposing
Each also says he would vote in the
Koenig has voted for the measure in the House. Stream said he didn't vote on the issue when it came up in the House in 2014 to avoid hurting his chances in the vote for county executive. The county as a whole has generally voted Democratic in recent years.
Campaign finance reports show Koenig has raised more than
More than half of Koenig's total has come from two frequent major donors to conservative causes and candidates.
On the Democratic side, Boyko, 36, a lawyer from
The two agree on supporting
Another point of friction: Boyko says he has concerns about whether Eagleton meets the one-year district residency requirement set by state law for a senator.
However, Eagleton said he moved his legal residence into the district prior to the
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