UPDATE, May 4.—The announcement Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, that she will not seek re-election brings the number of lawmakers making an exit this year to 23.
OLYMPIA, April 26.—If you’re anywhere near the Capitol after this year’s elections, you might want to stay clear of the exit door. Nearly one-sixth of the members of the Washington state Legislature will be kissing their seats goodbye.
Twenty-two members of the House and Senate have announced they will not seek re-election. That’s out of a total membership of 147. When you consider what happened in 2010, when 20 lawmakers stood down and others were defeated for re-election, turnover at the statehouse lately seems a bit rapid. Term limits? Who needs ‘em?
Retirement accounts for nine of this year’s voluntary exits. Some of those retirees are leaving for family or financial reasons, and some are bidding adieu because they have decided they have reached their own personal pull-dates. Another 13 are seeking other offices. They include House members who hope to move to the Senate — so maybe some of them will be sticking around the statehouse. But other offices are just as tempting. All statewide positions appear on the ballot in 2012, and while most attention has gone to the wide-open governor’s race, there also are wide-open races for secretary of state and state auditor, neither of which come up very often. There also are three open congressional seats. And some members are recognizing the charm of county positions, which might be a notch down on the political food chain, but which pay quite a bit better. Most members have to give up their current seats to run, because Washington law doesn’t allow candidates to run for two positions on the same ballot.
Actually, the number of members who leave by choice could be greater than 22. Four state senators who are not on this year’s ballot are seeking other offices this year. Should any of them win, they also will be compelled to resign. And up until two days ago, smart money had it that the number of voluntary departures would be 23 — but then Spokane Republican Matt Shea announced that he would be staying put in the House, and wouldn’t run for a county commissioner’s seat that had suddenly come open.
David Ammons, spokesman for the Washington secretary of state’s office, and a longtime observer of the state political scene who joined the Associated Press Olympia bureau in 1971, said the mass exodus of the last two election cycles is something to behold. “I don’t think many were more dramatic than what we are seeing,” he said.
Could it be a Trend?
Some of what is happening this year can be explained by redistricting. New district boundaries in some cases are forcing lawmakers to decide whether to move up or out, or stay and fight. In Seattle, state Sen. Margarita Prentice, the Democratic elder stateswoman of the upper chamber, found herself in the same district as Adam Kline, D-Seattle, and opted to retire rather than battle it out in the primary. In Pierce County, Rep. Jim McCune, R-Graham, wound up in the same district as state Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, and instead of fighting, chose to run for Pierce County council.
But as for the rest, there may be some commonality. “There are probably many reasons for all of them terming themselves out, but it could be that people are getting weary of how overtly partisan Olympia has become,” Ammons surmises. “It is a very corrosive atmosphere they have to operate within. In days gone by you had a very heated campaign cycle, and then, when the campaign was over, you turned to governing. Now it is like the campaign cycle never ends and people stay in their warring camps.
“So it is very difficult to govern and and get things done when everybody is taking down roll-call votes and the gotcha moments, and caucuses feel like they have to be uber-disciplined and really put the fear of God in anybody who crosses the aisle on any of the issues. I would think that would get old pretty fast if you were anything other a pure partisan.
“And the issues are very complicated. In Olympia, we still pretend to have a citizen legislature, but they really keep themselves in session or working on issues and constituent relations all year round. So it can be very grueling on your family and your personal life, unless you are personally wealthy or have a spouse who works. You know, the $42,000 a year just doesn’t cut it.”
Of course, you have to expect some sort of turnover every time, notes another longtime legislative observer and sometime campaign contributor who speaks on the condition of anonymity. “It always feels like a lot because we track these things,” he says. But no one in the politics business bothers keeping statistics to determine whether one year is any more remarkable than any other. People come and people go. It’s just part of life at the Capitol.
Thinking About Future
Among those who is stepping down this year with no further plans for elective office is state Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum. Hinkle served 10 years in the state Legislature following a stint as Kittitas County commissioner, and rose to a position of prominence in the House Republican Caucus as minority whip. He could always be counted on for a rousing speech on the House floor. It’s been a terrific experience, Hinkle says, but there comes a point when you have to consider the impact on your personal life. It’s tough to put a kid through college and save for retirement on a legislator’s salary. It’s supposed to be a part-time job, but if you devote yourself to it, the position really requires a three-quarters-time commitment, he says.
“I decided at 55 I have 10 or 15 good years of work left in me,” he said. “Do I want to spend it in the Legislature and continue to struggle? It is a financial struggle to stay in the Legislature unless you are independently wealthy, or you have a successful business before you get there. And you know, my wife would like to retire, and it is just not fair to make her work a full-time job so that I can stay in the Legislature.”
Hinkle isn’t ready yet to announce what that next job will be, but says you just might still see him around the Capitol.
A Year for Living Dangerously
And there are others who see this as a year of opportunity. Mark Miloscia, D-Federal Way, is running for state auditor, a position that seemingly comes open only once in a blue moon. It’s worth the risk, Miloscia says.
“Brian Sonntag moving on after 20 years does provide the opportunity to do the same work that I’ve been passionate about on the legislative side, on the executive side,” he said. “So for me it seemed like a natural fit to take a risk, because if you do a good job like Brian Sonntag did, you are probably there for another 20 years. So it is a natural thing that it would attract candidates. It has attracted at least three of us here the Legislature.”
True enough. Miloscia has plenty of company. Also running for the seat are Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver, and Rep. Troy Kelley, D-Tacoma. All three will give up their seats to do it, meaning that the auditor’s race will be the year’s biggest bloodbath. No matter what happens, at least two of them will say goodbye to the Capitol after the August primary.
The Sayonara List
Here’s a rundown on the members who will not be seeking re-election this year, based on the latest information available. Keep in mind that things may change when filing week for political office begins on May 14.
House Democrats (10)
Rep. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma – running for Senate
Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle – retiring
Rep. Deb Eddy, D-Kirkland – retiring
Rep. Fred Finn, D-Olympia – retiring
Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle – running for Senate
Rep. Troy Kelley, D-Tacoma – running for state auditor
Rep. Phyllis Kenney, D-Seattle – retiring
Rep. Connie Ladenberg, D-Tacoma – running for Pierce County Council
Rep. Mark Miloscia, D-Federal Way – running for state auditor
Rep. Tim Probst, D-Vancouver – running for Senate
Note: Reps. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds and Roger Goodman, D-Kirkland, earlier announced campaigns for Congress in the 1st Congressional District, but have since abandoned their plans and announced instead that they would run for re-election. So too with Zack Hudgins, D-Tukwila, who announced and then abandoned a campaign for secretary of state.
House Republicans (7)
Rep. John Ahern, R-Spokane – retiring
Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-Fall City – running for Lt. Governor
Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor – running for Senate
Rep. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup – running for Senate
Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum – retiring
Rep. Jim McCune, R-Graham – running for Pierce County council
Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe – running for Senate
Senate Democrats (4)
Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup – running for Washington secretary of state
Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Seattle – retiring
Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver – running for state auditor
Sen. Debbie Regala, D-Tacoma –retiring
Note: Sens. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, and Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, also are seeking higher office this year – they are running for Congress in the 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, respectively. Both were elected in 2010 to four-year terms in the Senate, and so they do not risk their seats.
Senate Republicans (1)
Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington – retiring
Note: Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, is running for U.S. Senate and Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, is running for Benton County commissioner. Both were elected in 2010 and do not risk their seats.
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