The 9th Order

One of the lions of the business community lobbyists is retiring. Friends and legislators from both parties gathered last night to wish Jack McRae and his wife, Noel, the best. As Senior Vice President of Congressional and Legislative Affairs for Premera Blue Cross, Jack was a major player in Olympia.

On Tuesday the 35th annual March for Life and Rally was held at the Capitol. The turnout was extraordinary, one of the larger demonstrations in the last few years.

A Seattle investment group headed by metro-area activist Marcus Charles has retained Vicki Christophersen to monitor activities at the Washington State Liquor Control Board (LCB) as it formulates rules for implementation of I-502. The state’s new recreational cannabis use law received an impressive 56% statewide vote in the last general election.

The start of the 2013 Legislative Session also signals the beginning of protests. On Thursday it was the Washington Coalition to Amend the Constitution.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board is now advertising for a marijuana consultant, and the idea that it needs expert advice caused considerable tittering a few weeks back when it was first mentioned at legislative hearings. What, exactly, does it take to be an expert in marijuana? And would anyone dare to admit he or she is qualified?

It was the event of the season, and of course Washington State Wire had a ball. Some 3,000 Washington residents and honored guests attended the Inaugural Ball at the Capitol Wednesday night — and whatever can be said about it, we’ve already said. All our friends were there. So was anyone who was anyone. Rumor had it that the governor was there, but we didn’t see him. We got a lot of pictures, though.

The new Washington Cannabis Association and the Cannabis Coalition for Standards and Ethics make lobbyist hires.

Gov.-elect Jay Inslee is announcing that Chief John Batiste of the Washington State Patrol gets to stay on the job — now watch the fun. The Troopers’ Association had urged his ouster. Which gubernatorial candidate did the troopers endorse, again? You guessed it. Here’s the announcement.

The Cannabis Business Group had strong words for Rep.Hurst and the other legislators who wrote a letter calling for a delay in implementation of Initiative 502 which was passed by the voters last November. Rep. Hurst wants the Legislature to amend the new law.

The office of Gov.-elect Jay Inslee has announced that David Schumacher, former lobbyist for Boeing and non-partisan staff director for the Senate Ways and Means Committee, has been named director of the Office of Financial Management. Here’s the announcement.