Campaign Phone Number
3608886589
Biography (max 750 char)
John Bielka is a civil engineer, farmer, and public works leader running for State Representative in Washington’s 31st Legislative District. He has managed streets, stormwater, utilities, facilities, capital projects, emergency response, and unionized workforces in both the public and private sectors. In recent years, he helped secure millions in grants and infrastructure funding for local cities. John also volunteers as a CTE advisor for Chief Leschi Schools and helps write grants for a senior center and food bank. His priorities are affordability, housing, public safety, strong infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, and practical results for working families.
My top budget priorities are services that directly affect working families: public safety, schools and CTE, roads, bridges, water, sewer, stormwater, flood protection, housing, and access to health care and senior care. If reductions became necessary, I would first review programs that are not producing measurable results, excessive consulting costs, duplicated agency work, delayed projects, and unfunded mandates pushed onto cities and local taxpayers. I would use Climate Commitment Act revenue for practical projects people can see: flood control, stormwater, tree planting, and electrification where it lowers costs or improves infrastructure. I would not start with broad tax increases on families already struggling with housing, groceries, gas, and utilities.
Public confidence is earned through transparency, accuracy, and accountability. Washington should continue secure vote-by-mail while making it easier for voters to track their ballots, understand deadlines, and see how elections are audited. County election offices need adequate funding, trained staff, and clear public reporting so voters know the process is fair and secure. We should also strengthen civics education, support nonpartisan voter guides and candidate forums, and encourage more people to serve as election workers and observers. The goal should be simple: make voting accessible, protect election integrity, and give voters clear facts instead of political noise.
Public safety starts with supporting the people who respond when families need help: law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, 911 dispatchers, and crisis responders. Washington should focus on recruiting and retaining trained public safety workers, improving response times, and making sure repeat violent offenders are held accountable. We also need stronger treatment options for mental health, addiction, and fentanyl so jails and emergency rooms are not the only answer. The state should support local police and fire departments, fund basic infrastructure, improve coordination between prosecutors and law enforcement, and invest in prevention programs that keep young people from entering the criminal justice system.
Washington should support local journalism without controlling it. Reliable local news is part of civic infrastructure: people need to know what city councils, school boards, courts, and state agencies are doing. The state can help by protecting public records access, keeping public notices easy to find, supporting broadband and digital access, and considering transparent, nonpartisan grants or tax credits for local reporting, especially in underserved communities. Any support must be viewpoint-neutral, publicly accountable, and independent from elected officials. Government should make information easier to access, not decide what news people hear.
I support keeping Washington’s redistricting process independent and bipartisan, but it needs more transparency and stronger deadlines. In 2031, I would support earlier public hearings in rural and suburban communities, easier-to-read draft maps, plain-language explanations of why lines were drawn, and public access to the data used. Districts should keep cities, school districts, tribes, and communities of interest together where possible, instead of splitting them for political convenience. If the commission deadlocks, there should be a clear backup process that is public, fast, and does not leave voters waiting on court fights. The goal is simple: fair maps voters can understand and trust.
The greatest challenge in the 31st District is affordability tied to basic infrastructure. Families are paying more for housing, taxes, utilities, gas, and groceries while roads, bridges, stormwater systems, and flood control needs keep getting more expensive. State government should focus on the basics: maintain bridges before they fail, fund flood control and stormwater projects, support safe communities, and help cities build infrastructure without pushing every cost onto local taxpayers. I support using Climate Commitment Act funds for practical projects like flood control, tree planting, and electrification where it lowers long-term costs. Olympia needs to stop overpromising, control taxes, and deliver results people can see.
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