A 25th Legislative District race for State Representative is shaping up to be more competitive than Democrats expected, after Puyallup native and business owner Melanie Stambaugh took nearly 49% in the primary against longtime officeholder Dawn Morrell (seeking her sixth term). Apparently, the close primary numbers made Democrats — and their allies on the left — quite nervous.
So nervous, in fact, that certain union representatives have resorted to thug-like tactics, actively seeking to harm Stambaugh’s business.
SHIFT first caught on to what’s been happening when Stambaugh posted this on her Facebook account,
Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup invited Stambaugh to speak with AVID (a program that prepares students for college) during three class periods. As an owner of a youth development company, Stambaugh is uniquely qualified for the task.
Stambaugh volunteered her time as a business owner, not a candidate for public office. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the school’s union representatives from informing staff that Stambaugh was not welcome — during her second presentation. The union representative insisted that Stambaugh stop her presentative and leave the school. Mid-presentation, Stambaugh was stopped and the class informed that she could not continue due to her candidacy for State House.
It’s important to note that Stambaugh was not campaigning. She did not discuss her position on political issues. Therefore, under Puyallup School District’s guidelines, Stambaugh was not violating any rules by volunteering her time to a school in an effort to help high school students.
Stambaugh does not blame the high school’s staff or the Puyallup School District for the rude interruption. Stambaugh stated that she has “the greatest respect for the Emerald Ridge High School’s staff and the Puyallup School District. It’s unfortunate that the union representative has to put the teachers in an awkward situation.”
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