The Herald Editorial Board recently published a strong endorsement of Marko:

Rep Marko Liias is an exceptional lawmaker of the worth-emulating school, value-driven, wonky and tireless. The son of Finnish immigrants, Liias served as a twentysomething Mukilteo city councilmember before his election to the Legislature in 2008. In a brief span, Liias has distinguished himself, laboring to pass a casebook anti-bullying law and rising to vice-chair of the House Transportation Committee. It’s Liias’ leadership on transportation that could play a determinative role in the economic health of Snohomish County and the Puget Sound region.

In the upcoming legislative session, transportation and education (Liias also serves on the House Education Committee) take center stage. A powerful Snohomish County voice is critical to inform a comprehensive transportation package, one that’s likely to be sent to voters for their OK. Strategic corridors are still the paradigm, and that includes a new Columbia River bridge, improvements to State Route 9 and Highway 2 in Snohomish County, and upgrades to Highway 509 which runs from Tacoma to South Seattle. As Liias notes, a complicating factor is the long-term decline of gas-tax revenue, with motorists reaping the windfall of more fuel-efficient cars.

Liias, who underwrote his college tuition with student loans and scholarships, is also a champion of increasing access to higher-ed in Snohomish County. He supports turning WSU/Everett into a four-year branch campus as well as augmenting enrollment slots at the county’s community and technical colleges. As a matter of principle, Liias opposed extending tuition-setting authority to the state’s four-year universities. He lost that fight, but it stands as an example of his neck-extending (and occasionally naïve) willingness to put his ideals into practice.

To read the full editorial, click here.