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Republican senator misses conference where he’d discuss balancing two jobs

Erin Fenner   February 1, 2017  

Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, had to reschedule a Wednesday press conference wherein he was to discuss working in both Washingtons this session.

But, he ended up postponing that presser because his flight back to Olympia was cancelled, according to a press release from his office. Now, he’s facing even more criticism for his so-called “dual role.”

Ericksen accepted a temporary position as communications director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration. The position inconveniently overlaps with the Washington Legislature’s session.

And this session is not inconsequential.

Background

Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Whatcom County. Courtesy of the Washington Legislature.

Legislators are compelled by the state Supreme Court to fully fund education this year.

But, Democrats and Republicans have differing ideas about how to meet this goal. Not just that: the majorities in both the House and the Senate are slim. In the Senate, Republicans only hold the majority by one vote, and that temporarily turned into a tie when Sen. Brian Dansel, R-Republic, resigned to take a job with the Trump administration. He was replaced by former-Representative and now-Senator Sally Short, R-Addy. Democrats used the week of uncertainty to make a grab for a majority vote. That didn’t work for Democrats. But Democrats are holding a majority in the House with 50-47 split (though a Republican could likely fill Short’s seat and the count would shift back to 50-48).

The road to an education-funding fix won’t be without long hours and debate. And education isn’t the only issue that constituents are pressing their legislators about: Water management and mental health care are among the many pressing issues for the state.

According to reporting by Samantha Wohlfeil for The Bellingham Herald, Ericksen has missed about 75 percent of his scheduled committee meetings this session, and hasn’t attended a committee meeting since Jan. 12.

There’s another thing: Washington law prohibits state lawmakers from working for the federal government. Ericksen said he cleared the temp position with lawyers, according to The Bellingham Herald report, but that doesn’t do much to ease tensions from constituents and along partisan lines.

So the optics for Ericksen, who told The Seattle Times and other outlets that he is keeping his full salary as senator while also working for the federal government, are not ideal, to say the least.

Response

According to reporting from Walker Orenstein for The News Tribune, Ericksen’s absence led to tension on the Senate floor Wednesday:

“(Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle) and state Sen. Marko Liias, the Democratic floor leader, also criticized Senate Republicans for having to work around Ericksen’s schedule to pass legislation in the chamber.

A majority-GOP coalition leads the Senate 25-24. So when Ericksen is working in Washington, D.C., Republicans can’t pass bills in the tied Senate.”

But the criticisms have been mounting for a while.

On Tuesday The Seattle Times editorial board called for Ericksen to either resign from his position as a state senator or to rededicate himself to Olympia, and be senator full-time.

“Every week he’s not in Olympia puts a drag on the Legislature. By Feb. 17, the Senate Energy, Environment and Telecommunications Committee that Ericksen chairs has to vote and forward bills. March 8 is the cutoff for the Senate to send bills to the House.

If Ericksen’s priority is in Olympia, he should be there, full-time. If not, quit the Senate and let a replacement be appointed. That’s not a partisan statement: we would say the same thing if a Clinton administration were plucking lawmakers,” reads the editorial.

In mid-January John Stang for the Seattle Weekly pointed to the possible hurdles Ericksen faces on the path he’s chosen.

“Ericksen plans to fly back-and-forth between Washington D.C. and Olympia to hold both his senate seat and his temporary EPA job. News reports from Washington D.C. said some transition leaders might end up with permanent jobs in the Trump administration.

However, Washington’s constitution says a state legislator cannot simultaneously hold a legislative seat and a federal civil job.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said Ericksen researched that issue prior to accepting the Trump post, with Ericksen being told that he can do both. Schoesler said the GOP did not check with the Washington Attorney General’s Office — run by a Democrat — because he contended that office moves very slowly. A spokesman for Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the office wouldn’t opine on the issue in the press.”

There’s even a Twitter handle, highlighted in the Herald’s reporting, set up to satirize Ericksen and his choice to work both jobs called “Where’s Doug?”

Ericksen is scheduled for his press conference explaining said-“dual roles,” 9:15 a.m. Thursday, according to a press release from his office.

Erin Fenner: erin@washingtonstatewire.com, @erinfenner

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