Four Republican candidates will be pared down to two in a few weeks, as primary ballots are tallied and the races for Kitsap County Commissioner in District 1 and State Representative for the 23rd District, Position 1 are set. Who should advance?

In the commissioner’s primary race, the North Kitsap Herald gives its nod to Scott Henden. But not by a landslide. Henden has vowed to tackle two big issues which have become a growing problem at the county level — the budget and the creation of living wage jobs.

His 41 years in the area, as well as his community involvement, show that he has a vested interest in the future of the area. Those who know Henden describe him as “blue collar,” a “good worker” and even a “bulldog.”

Henden seems to have a pretty good grasp on what makes the area tick and has a very solid reputation here as an honest businessman. Being such, part of his platform is to support like-minded small business owners by creating a closer relationship between them and the county.

His outright push for property owner rights could be a setback unless it’s toned down a bit, though. And whether he will truly consider “What’s the cost? What’s the gain?” when balancing affordable housing with the environment is something he’ll have to answer in greater detail before November.

Matt Cleverley seems to have been intentionally vague on his resume. Not going into as great a detail as he should have on all the communities he helped across the United States, or even listing what company he was working with at the time he did so.

He’s a bright fellow, no question, and seems to have a very solid plan to improve the county but planning and implementing are two different things.

In the 23rd District Republican race, Frank Mahaffay is our choice to advance to the general election.

Mahaffay seems to have a better grasp on the financial state of the district and, despite his youth, could have the ability to be an effective legislator. As a Realtor, he’s proven himself to be an astute, straightforward businessman. We like his vision for necessary tort reform and streamlining bureaucratic agencies. And while both he and fellow Republican Paulette DeGard have listed improving education as a paramount issue, Mahaffay worked on it locally as Chair of the Central Kitsap Career and Technical Educational Advisory Council.

The Herald’s citizen advisory board questioned whether or not DeGard was simply “shopping for an office” that would be used as a stepping stone to bigger things. Endorsements from mega corporation Wal-Mart and tobacco giant Phillip Morris also raise some serious questions of her intentions for the environment of the 23rd. To this end, and despite using the environment in her 2002 election platform for Central Kitsap Commissioner, she seems to be leaning in favor of the Pit to Pier project as well.

Editor’s note: Primary candidates were selected with input from the North Kitsap Herald’s citizens advisory board and do not necessarily reflect this paper’s endorsement selections for the November general election.