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Jeff Baxter

If you are unfamiliar with the name Jeff Baxter and live in the Valley, then you are either a recluse or have been driving around with your eyes closed. The only thing more prevalent than his campaign signs in the front lawns of the Valley are perhaps the autumn leaves. They are signs of his boundless energy and the dozens of volunteers working to make sure Jeff continues his barely-begun career as our 4th district senator after tomorrow's election.

Many who follow the news first heard the name Jeff Baxter last February when he made local headlines after our three county commissioners unanimously selected him out of the three choices they were given by the Republican party to fill Senator Bob McCaslin's recently vacated seat. The story certainly got my attention because the name Jeff Baxter was very familiar to me since he had supported me through the years as a restaurant owner and a contractor and never asked for anything in return.

I was excited for him and his family, and I found it exciting that a friend of mine was a Senator. While I wanted to know what he was going through I knew he was extremely busy and so I was satisfied to read about his success in the paper. Later in the spring when he announced that he would campaign for election to the Senate seat he had been appointed to, I figured the job must have agreed with him.

Soon after that his name really started popping up everywhere as volunteers planted the red, white and blue election signs bearing his name throughout the Valley. But until recently when I went to his house that both Elaine, my wife, and I have worked on, I had not talked to him since he had become a senator. I was very curious to hear what it was like going from Joe Citizen to Senator Baxter.

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Spokane Valley Scoop Newsletter - … with the name Jeff Baxter and live in the Valley, then you are either a recluse or have been …

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RE: Valley Scoop/From Joe Citizen to Senator Jeff in 4 Days - … with the name Jeff Baxter and live in the Valley, then you are either a recluse or have been driving around with your eyes closed. The only thing more prevalent than his …

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Change Order October 28th - Fall Festival of Homes People's Choice Awards Announced - … 4th Legislative District Jeff Baxter & Mike Padden To aid our members when they fill out their ballots, we have recently sent a mailing that includes “paycheck …

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Jeff Baxter - … Citizens to Elect Jeff Baxter www.votejeffbaxter.com (509) 217-2464

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Change Order September 30th - Last weekend to Tour the Festival - … Mike Padden & Jeff Baxter If you are able, we encourage you to support the campaigns for these candidates & issues by getting involved in the Community Builders …

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RE: Valley Scoop/From Joe Citizen to Senator Jeff in 4 Days

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LEANN HENDERSON

11/7/11

to me

Images are not displayed. Display images below - Always display images from beeyotch769@hotmail.com

Hi there,

Thank you for sending me this...I love reading these...they are so very interesting.
When are you going to be able to meet Ginger and I for drinks and girl chit chat???
Hopefully before the snow flies. Let me know..
take care,
Leann

Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2011 11:16:28 -0500
From: rock.inn@gmail.com
To: beeyotch769@hotmail.com
Subject: Valley Scoop/From Joe Citizen to Senator Jeff in 4 Days

webpage version click here

The SPOKANE VALLEY SCOOP

In this issue:

* Featured Scoop: Mr. Baxter goes to Olympia

Also:

*Money Saving Tip

* Museum Shin Dig
* Handy Hint

Valley History 101 pop quiz:

Where was the first fire station located in the Spokane Valley and when was the Valley Fire District formed?

Photo Bonus question for extra points:

"Where would I have been standing if I had taken this picture way back when?"

(answers at the bottom of news letter)

Not to Worry, The Scoop has your Baxter who has your back.

Story continued at the bottom of newsletter

$$ Money Saving Tip $$

The King Kicks Jack and Ronalds' Behinds for the Buck Breakfast

Jack In the Box offers two lamo items on their Dollar breakfast menu, neither of which are worth the money you pay let alone the cardboard container they come in and taste like. McDonald's has the same number and one of those is Tator Tots, which should be in the sides section, not the bargain breakfeast menu.

Burger King on the other hand rules the bargain menu for breakfast. I think they have at least 5 choices and all of them are better than any of the other's measly offerings.

Tasty Mini Cinnies Scrummy Blueberry Muffins The classic French Sticks

To top it all off they give me a senior coffee (they just started giving me that one sad day without asking my age) at the Burger King for 46 cents whereas McDonalds charges $1 and Jack in the Box doesn't have one. So for $1.46 I get a princely little breakfast at the King.

More money saving tips.

Saturday Nov.12th, 11:30 North 202 Pines $20

Handy Hint

Before I got to talking to Jerry Boring the other day I did not realize that oil and gas testing was such a big deal. Jerry works for the Spokane Valley office of ANA Laboratories, a nationwide company that test fuel and gas for companies and municipalities with large fleets of trucks, buses, cars, planes, heavy equipment... you name, they test it.

On the one hand they test the fuel companies like Southwest Airlines buys to make sure it is the proper quality and then on the other hand they test the oil in the engine to alkalize the condition of the engine. Jerry said testing the oil and analyzing the the particles and chemicals suspended in an engine's oil is an extremely accurate way to predict breakdowns and analyze almost any problem an engine may have.

While all organizations with large fleets do oil testing and are what keep companies like ANA in business, many private customers use their services as well. It is a great way to prove the strength of your car's engine when selling and also to make sure you are not getting a lemon when buying a used car.

Click here to learn more.

The Scoop Scooped them All!

When the Mission Medical Building exploded on September 19th The Spokane Valley Scoop was the first on the scene. All three local T,V. news stations ended up using our video because the time they got their with the crews the fire department had the fire under control. The Scoop on the other hand arrived before the fire department so we got the firey footage they all wanted.

KHQ

KREM

Custom Homebuilding and Remodeling

By Craig and Elaine Swanson

Here's what our recent customers say:
" When we hired Craig, he told us "I'm not a drive-by Builder" and we found this to be absolutely true. Craig is very dependable and was always here when he said he would be. His creativity and craftsmanship were a wonderful asset to our project and Craig was very attentive to our ideas and concerns.. " Kerri & Jeff Gerkin

To tour their home click here.

"We were very satisfied with Craig's work ethic and would gladly work with him personally in the future. He is honest and hard working. He appreciates those who want to do elements of the project themselves, and accomodates their desires." Winston Wiggins

To tour the Wiggins home click here.

"Working with Craig and Elaine has been an amazing experience.The attention to detail in building our home and patience they have shown encouraging us to be hands on with the construction process has been nothing less than heroic! I especially apreciate the "gentle guidance" they've given throughout this process.This is our second "Craig built" home and hopefully our last, but if not,we would certainly be working with Craig and Elaine again. " Julie Bernheine

To tour their recently completed home click here.

Jeff Baxter

As we sat in his downstairs office that Elaine had painted for him the year before, Jeff explained to me that he had first become interested in politics after serving in the Air Force overseas in England and Germany. "I became aware that our country was heading in the wrong direction in many ways," he said. "And I decided I wanted to get involved a little bit." Shortly after returning to the west side of our state with his new bride, Diane, he worked as a volunteer on Bob Williams unsuccessful bid for governor in 1988 and actually got to study the candidate up close as he chauffeured him from event to event.

Bitten by the political bug from that experience, Jeff got more involved with the Republican Party and was even asked to run against Rick Bender, the incumbent state senator in 1990. "I had a young family then and for me they were the most important thing," he said, adding that he chose to work on the campaign for Tim Irwin, who went on to beat Bender. After that, politics for Jeff was a passion and a pastime but for the next two decades his focus has been raising his two boys with Diane and working with her in their business, Bank Card Systems, a successful credit card processing company.

Moving to Spokane several years ago, Jeff remained active in local politics and so it was not a stretch for the local Republican party to throw his name in the hat when they had to provide three candidates for the county commissioners to choose from to replace McCaslin. On the morning of Friday February 11th, the commissioners carefully interviewed the three candidates in the auditorium at the courthouse one at a time. With the three commissioners seated as a panel in front of him and a small crowd watching and listening in the rows behind him, Jeff fielded their questions for nearly 90 minutes.

"You go in scared to death not knowing what is going to happen," he said. "But I felt good afterwards. I had answered everything from the heart and I didn't say anything stupid." Jeff and Diane then went home to get some work done before returning a few hours later for the final decision.

"The trouble was I couldn't find a parking spot because a lot of people had shown up for the announcement," he said, explaining that they did not enter the auditorium until after the proceedings had gotten under way. " I remember just as I walked through the threshold of the door I heard Commissioner Milke say something like 'I want to announce that Jeff Baxter will be our next 4th district senator."

"I was trying to find a seat and thinking about what was happening and my legs just turned to jello, which never happens to me," he said. "My hands were shaking so bad that I gave Diane my water bottle to hold. I haven't told that to many people, but Diane did have to hold my water that day." With the help of his wife's steady hand beside him, Jeff quickly regained his composure and accepted his new appointment.

The transition from Citizen Jeff to Senator Jeff occurred over the next hectic three days. On Saturday Commissioner Milke, who had been a state legislator earlier in his career, spent three hours over lunch at the Longhorn giving Jeff some of his firsthand knowledge. "He was very good to me, spending that much time," he said. "He was my first teacher." From there Jeff went home to help Diane with the packing and by 11 Sunday morning they were headed to Olympia.

A group of republican senate leaders were waiting there to take them out to dinner. "They wanted to see what the 4th district had produced," he said, explaining that they asked him questions for two hours. "They paid for our dinner so I liked that part." The senators liked what they saw and assigned him to three committees including the powerful Ways and Means committee which handles the state budget.

The next morning on Valentine's Day, Jeff was sworn in and after lunch with Diane he kissed her goodbye as she headed back to Spokane and he began his career in Olympia. "I told her that this is where I work now," he said, adding that he buried himself in the daunting task of learning the ropes while trying to catch up with the current legislative session that was well under way.

So intent on mastering his new role and learning all there was to learn, Jeff forgot to take care of some of his basic needs. "I remember walking into my first Ways and Means committee meeting on Friday at 2 in the afternoon and I could literally feel my lips start to crack and I thought this is really weird," he said. "Then I realized that I was dehydrated and that I had not been taking the time to even drink water."

Beyond not drinking or eating properly, he was operating on 4 hours of sleep and by that first weekend he was approached by some concerned colleagues. "They were actually worried about me. They told me to slow down a little and to realize that sometimes less is better," he said, adding that he was grateful for their concern and took their advice.

One thing you learn about Jeff very soon is that he is a high energy, focused individual. It is a personality trait that helped him build and maintain his company in the demanding and competitive credit card processing industry, winning and servicing literally thousands of clients over the years. He is also astute at handling all the different personality types who operate businesses that use credit cards from doctors and dentists to hair salons and restaurants to pawn shops and craft booth venders. While running his own business he has spent years servicing other businesses.

All that experience, enthusiasm and expertise came quickly into play in Olympia, as Jeff was tapped by party leaders to spearhead the effort to pass a bill seeking to stop the rampant EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card fraud that King news had recently exposed, finding the state was losing millions as people would use their cards for unintended purposes like gambling and alcohol or sell their cards for cash.

Given his credit card processing background, Jeff was well suited in helping to craft the bill and then getting it signed into law. He is also well suited to fight to have the state run within its means just as he has to do with own business and personal finances which he operates debt free. "Our state is $6.3 billion in debt right now, which requires $1 billion annually just to service," he said, adding that he was one of the few who voted against the current budget. "This state does not have an income problem, it has a spending problem."

It is interesting to look at who is endorsing Jeff. From Vern Ziegler to the CEO of Rosauers to the association of restaurant owners and apartment owners and home builders, people in our area who have to worry about how to keep the doors open in this bleak economy want Jeff in there fighting for them.

After all the years of volunteering on other candidate's campaigns, and building his business and raising his family, Jeff feels it is his time and God's purpose for him to serve in the State Senate. "I really feel that God has lead me to this point," said Jeff, a long-time member of Valley Assembly church at Sullivan and Broadway. "It has all been very humbling to have so many work so hard to help me get elected. I take the opportunity to serve this district very seriously and I always believe that my only option is to always do whatever it takes to get the job done.

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Jeff Baxter