They don’t have a secret handshake (as far as we know), their roll call is rather short, and they seldom meet. So when the four people who serve or once served as Washington’s Secretary of State do gather, it’s cause for celebration, or at least a blog post. The new officeholder, Kim Wyman, met with her three predecessors for lunch Tuesday in Olympia. No word on how much they talked shop or discussed whether Gonzaga will reach the Final Four….
Kim Wyman has been inaugurated as Washington’s 15th Secretary of State, following a line of Republicans stretching back a half-century. Wyman is the only woman and only Republican elected to statewide executive office in the last election, only the second woman Secretary of State in Washington history, and the first woman Republican Secretary in the Evergreen State. Wyman took the oath of office shortly after noon on Wednesday, drawing cheers at a joint session of the House and Senate when…
(Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services Photography) Secretary of State Sam Reed bade a fond farewell to the people of Washington Tuesday after 45 years in public life, including 35 years as a state and county elected official. Addressing a joint session of the Legislature, Reed brought along a special reminder of his family’s long connection to Washington politics and government — his grandfather Sam Sumner’s battered leather briefcase. Exactly 100 years earlier, Sumner, a state GOP chairman and longtime…
Washington’s 63rd Legislature is off to a dramatic start, with a coalition of minority Republicans banding with two dissident Democrats to take over control of the state Senate. The debate was fairly low-key. Despite having an elected majority in the upper chamber, the Democrats were left with little option but to accept that 23 Republicans had lined up support of fiscally conservative Democratic Sens. Rodney Tom and Tim Sheldon to form the 25-member coalition to run the 49-member Senate. Democratic…
About 500 of Secretary of State Sam Reed’s friends, family and colleagues gathered Thursday evening for a fun gala to “roast & toast” Sam on the occasion of his retirement after 12 years as Secretary and 45 years in public life. Guests came from far and wide and from different eras in Reed’s life, so the gathering was a kind of big political family reunion. After an hour of animated conversations, the group moved into the ballroom of the SeaTac…
Throughout his years as Washington’s chief elections officer, Secretary Reed has made it a high priority to give our state’s military voters access to voting, as they are defenders of democracy. Reed’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The Washington Army National Guard has recognized the soon-to-retire Secretary for his service in support of the National Guard, especially with voter registration during deployment preparation. Major General Bret D. Daugherty of the Army National Guard, at ceremonies at the Capitol Monday, presented Reed…
(Photo courtesy of Don Jensen) No, not the type requiring bleeps. Actually, Secretary Reed spent part of Wednesday participating in separate county swearing-in ceremonies in Kelso and Olympia. The Secretary traveled south in the morning to the Cowlitz County Courthouse to swear in County Commissioners Mike Karnofski and Dennis Weber (in photo above), and PUD Commissioner Kurt Anagnostou. After returning to Olympia, Reed made the short trek around Capitol Lake and up the hill to the Thurston County Courthouse to…
Secretary of State Sam Reed and Attorney General Rob McKenna are teaming up to urge Washingtonians to make wise choices with their holiday gifts to charity and avoid greedy fundraising groups. Reed and McKenna joined forces at the Senior Services Lillian Rice Center in downtown Seattle, releasing the 2012 Commercial Fundraiser Activity Report and announcing that the report will be updated weekly “in real time” to keep donors well-informed. The two statewide officials also shared tips for everyone – young…
Secretary of State Sam Reed’s alma mater, Washington State University, is creating an endowment to fund The Sam Reed Distinguished Professorship in Civic Education and Public Civility in honor of Reed’s “distinguished record of public service.” He will retire from public office as Washington’s 14th Secretary of State in January 2013. Reed received his bachelor’s degree in social studies and master’s degree in political science from Washington State University. Reed said he’s delighted with the professorship and the emphasis on…
From left: Irish Consul General John Keane, Hungarian Consul General Helen Szablya, Secretary Reed, Secretary-elect Wyman, and Mrs. Keane (Photo courtesy of Patrick McDonald) Secretary of State Sam Reed and Secretary-elect Kim Wyman, in their first official joint appearance since Wyman’s election two weeks ago, greeted the Consular Corps Tuesday. It was Reed’s last meeting with a group that includes many old friends — and the first for Wyman. The Secretary of State, along with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor,…