Legislative Races -- Candidate Camille Monzon States Position On Welfare

In his review of the 37th District Legislative races on Sept. 11, Times reporter Keri Murakami reduced my hour-and-20-minute candidate's interview to a trite adjective and unfairly reported my position on welfare reform.

I stated in the interview that President Clinton signed a bill that needed more work and that I am prepared to go to Olympia and fight for the 24,000 women and children in the 37th District that could be pushed into poverty. We need more support for job training, education and childcare to turn welfare recipients into self-sufficient taxpayers.

As executive director of the Seattle Indian Center, I work with an average of 100 mothers and children on Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) on a slow day. I've worked on the client's side of the table and know the issues inherent in welfare reform. I've raised $30 million for job training, education, childcare, and housing programs to help people of all colors get off welfare.

In 1993, the Washington State Legislature passed its own welfare-reform legislation that is still law. This bill launched a pilot program that will end in ten years UNLESS the Republican House changes state law to adopt federal guidelines that will push more women and children into poverty.

I will go to Olympia and work with both sides of the aisle to prevent these types of attacks on our most vulnerable families.

Camille Monzon

Seattle