Lynn Schindler
Party: Republican
Age: 59
Personal: Lynn Schindler is married to Jim Schindler. They live in the Otis Orchards area of the Spokane Valley. The Schindlers have 10 children.
Education: She graduated from Holy Angels Academy in Milwaukee, earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Marquette University in 1967, and studied secondary education at Pacific Lutheran University.
Professional: Schindler manages commercial and personal investments with her husband, is a former partner in Schindler Electric Supply Co., and worked briefly as a television weather forecaster in Milwaukee.
Political: Schindler has served three terms as a District 4 representative. She serves on the House of Representatives transportation committee and is the ranking Republican on the local government committee.
Key issues: Tort reform. "I think tort reform is a way to help premiums be lowered and help businesses lower some of their costs," Schindler said. She said businesses and government spend too much money "trying to guess everything someone might sue them for." Growth Management. "There has to be some medium found between those who just want a pristine environment ... and a person who's using his land to pollute and contribute to problems that make it unsafe for the community," she said. Schindler would like to reexamine the powers of the Growth Management Hearings boards, which are comprised of appointed--not elected--members. Defense of Marriage Act. Schindler is against a King County Superior Court judge's recent ruling allowing gay couples to marry. She wants the Legislature to quickly pass a Defense of Marriage Act that would allow marriage between men and women only. Education. Schindler doesn't want to increase funding for education, but she wants to examine how the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is spending its money. "It seems to me not enough money is coming down into the classroom," she said.
Money raised/spent: $14,301 raised, $6,385 spent, as of Aug. 17, 2004
Top contributors: Physicians Insurance (of Seattle), Realtors PAC (of Olympia), Tructing Action Committee (of Federal Way), Washington State Copps (of Olympia), Altria Corporate Services Inc. (of Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. (of Olympia)
Quote: "Everybody doesn't need to have a Cadillac policy. ... When you're between 25 and 40, the things you need help with are usually quite small. It seems like everybody's lumped into the same basket, and that really affects small businesses."
Key influence: Her mother, father and husband. All are Republicans who discussed conservative politics regularly.
Favorite book: "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand
First priority if elected: "Trying to figure out this Growth Management mess," she said. "A close second is the Defense of Marriage Act."
Website: none
