Helen Sommers An Oral History – 1973-2009 Washington State Legislature Oral History Program Helen Sommers An Oral History Interviewed and Edited by Dan Monahan Legislature Oral History Program Washington State Legislature Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House Tom Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate Published 2010 Washington State Legislature Oral History Program All Rights Reserved ISBN: 978-0-9827541-1-5 Legislature Oral History Program Washington State P.O. Box 40482 Olympia, WA 98504-0482 Telephone: (360) 786-7550 Contents Preface . 1 Acknowledgements . 2 Interviewer’s Reflections on Rep . Helen Sommers . 3 Foreword . 4 Section I – Interviews with Representative Helen Sommers . 7 Section II – Individual interviews . 93 Governor Daniel J. Evans. 95 U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. 99 Governor Christine Gregoire. 105 Lt. Governor Brad Owen. 107 Speaker of the House Wayne Ehlers. 109 Speaker of the House Joe King. 115 Speaker Clyde Ballard . 119 Speaker Frank Chopp. 121 David Ammons. 123 Former Representative Jim Boldt. 129 Representative and former Chief Clerk Denny Heck. 135 House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler. 139 Representative Eileen Cody. 145 Representative Mary Lou Dickerson . 149 Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles. 153 Former Representative Barry Sehlin. 157 Former Chief Clerk Dean Foster. 163 Former Chief Clerk Vito Chiechi. 169 Cindy Zehnder . 173 Chief Clerk Barbara Baker. 177 Bernard Dean. 179 Victor Moore. 183 Contents Melinda McCrady. 187 Yona Makowski . 189 Section III – Helen Sommers Has Seen The World . 193 Section IV – Class Photos . 205 Section V – Biography, Final Newsletter, 36 Years Of Election Results . 229 Election Results for 18 terms; and 36th District Legislators (1890-2012) . 239 Section VI – Women Advances in Government During Helen Sommers’ Career . 245 Section VII – The Press: Newspaper Articles through Rep . Helen Sommers 36 year Career . 267 Section VIII – Index . 305 Preface This Oral History is based on a series of about 25 hours of interview sessions with Representative Helen Sommers on her 36-year career representing the 36th Legislative District in Seattle from 1973-2009. The Oral History book is a one-on-one interview with Representative Sommers on her life, including her childhood in New Jersey; her years with Mobil Oil Co. in Caracas, Venezuela; her studies at University of Washington in Seattle, first as a correspondence student in Caracas, followed by her move to Seattle; her involvement in the National Organization of Women and the League of Women Voters in King County; and her amazing 36 year career in the Washington State House of Representatives. Helen Sommers was first elected to the House of Representatives in November, 1972. That year, Democrats won a majority of the House for the first time after Rep. Helen Sommers six years of Republican control. Governor Daniel J . Evans was beginning his third term as Washington Governor. The new Speaker of the House was Rep . Leonard Sawyer (D-Puyallup) as Democrats amassed a 57-41 majority. Before Rep. Sommers and eight other new Democratic members were elected in 1972, House Republicans had a 51 to 48 majority, and the Speaker of the House then was Rep . Thomas Swayze, Jr. (R-Gig Harbor). Two years later (1975) – in Representative Sommer’s second term – Democrats increased their ‘super majority’ to 62 Democrats and 36 Republicans; the largest majority in the House in 14 years! During Helen Sommers’ 36 years of service in the House, the 98-member House of Representatives twice deadlocked in a 49-49 tie, with Democrats and Republicans split down the middle. Rep. Helen Sommers is the only member to serve during two historic ties – 19 years apart. The first-ever tie in state history was in the 1979-1980 sessions. Rep . John Bagnariol was House Speaker in the 1977 and 1978 sessions. But the November 1978 election brought the tie – 49 Democrats and 49 Republi- cans in the 98-member House. Since there was no process for a tie, the two parties choose two Co-Speakers and co-chairs for each committee. Democrats re-elected Bagnariol and Republicans elected Rep . Duane Berentson as Co-Speakers. Throughout her 36 year career, Helen Sommers chaired of five committees including; the State Govern- ment Committee (1976-78); Chair and Co-Chair of the Revenue Committee (1977-80); and eight sessions as Chair (and three years as Co-Chair 1999-2001) of the House Appropriations Committee, including her first session as Chair in 1994, replacing long-time Chair Rep . Gary Locke. However, that post lasted but one year! After the 1994 election, the Republican Party again gained control with Rep . Clyde Ballard (R-Wenatchee) as Speaker of the House with a 63-35 ‘super majority.’ Republicans held the majority for four years (1995-99) first with, Rep . Jean Silver (R-Spokane) as the new Chair of the Appropriations Committee for the 1995 session. Rep . Tom Huff (R-26th) became Chair in 1996. The House Republicans held the majority for five years. Former Appropriations Chair Sommers served as Ranking Democrat on Appropriations with both Jean Silver and Tom Huff. The 1998 election results created the second ‘49-49 tie’ in state history. Speaker Ballard and Rep . Frank Chopp (D-43rd District) were elected by their two caucuses to serve as Co-Speakers of the House. Reps. Sommers and Huff served as the Co-Chairs of the House Appropriations Committee in the 1999 and 2000 sessions. In 2001, Helen’s Co-Chair of the committee was Rep . Barry Sehlin. The three-year tie was broken with the 2001 ‘special election’ in the 21st District as an appointed incumbent Republican was defeated by a Democrat. That gave the Democrats a 50-48 majority, and Frank Chopp held the top post of Speaker. It also returned Helen Sommers to the Appropriations Committee Chair, the pg. 2 Preface position she always sought. She continued in that critical post as Appropriations Chair through the end of her 36-year career in the House. Helen did it “Her Way!” She left on her own terms, when she decided the 2008 session would be her last. There was speculation in the House and in the Press that she was planning to retire, but wisely, Helen wouldn’t confirm her intention until the very end of the 2008 session. While Helen had hoped to walk away quietly and without fanfare of her career, The House of Representa- tives, the Senate and Governor Chris Gregoire would not let Helen leave without an astounding ‘heart-felt’ acknowledgment of her amazing 36-year career. This Oral History contains many of the comments of House and Senate members honoring the Honorable Representative Helen Sommers, March 13, 2008, on the Final day of Helen’s last session. Acknowledgements This Oral History on Representative Helen Sommers’ 36 years of service to the State of Washington, the House of Representatives, and the citizens of the 36th District was an amazing undertaking. So many people who shared parts of Helen’s career stepped forward to talk about her: Former Governor Gary Locke, now U.S. Secretary of Commerce; Former Governor and U .S . Senator Daniel J . Evans, Governor Chris Gregoire; Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen; former House Speakers Wayne Ehlers, Joe King, Clyde Ballard and Frank Chopp; Current and former Members of the House and Senate including: Representatives Lynn Kessler, Eileen Cody, Mary Lou Dickerson, Barry Sehlin, Jim Boldt, Denny Heck and Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles; Other acknowledgements go to Chief Clerks of the House: Dean Foster, Vito Chiechi, Denny Heck, Cindy Zehnder, Barbara Baker, and Bernard Dean, Deputy Chief Clerk and longtime Appropriations Committee staff person. Victor Moore, former Appropriations OPR staff, director of the Office of Financial Management, and currently Director of the State Investment Board; Yona Makowski, House Democratic Caucus staffer and close friend to Helen Sommers; Longtime Associated Press Capitol Reporter Dave Ammons, who served with AP throughout Helen’s 36-year House career, share his perspective. Melinda McCrady, Director of Communications for the House Democratic Caucus, who participated in a number of the interviews with Helen and others. We also acknowledge the Washington State Archives; Andrew Smith, who served as Helen Sommers’ Legislative Assistant in the final years of her career; House Production Services (for Graphics and Printing); Darhl Avery, Nicholas Hopkins, and John Mason, Graphic Designers; LeMoyne Coates, House Photogra- pher and Dick Baldwin, Senate Photographer; to the Washington State Legislature Oral History Program. Special appreciation goes to Chief Clerk Barbara Baker, who envisioned and arranged this Oral History on her friend Helen Sommers. Preface pg. 3 Interviewer’s Reflections on Rep. Helen Sommers and Reps. Joel Pritchard, Al Swift, Don Bonker, Mike McCormack, Mike Lowry and Norm Dicks! As a longtime After Norm’s first term and his reelection to a staff person for the second term (he’s now on his 34th year), I returned House, the Senate to Olympia as deputy Press Secretary to Gov. Dixy and, way back when, Lee Ray, who was midway through her one term as the Governor’s of- Governor. But, most importantly, I moved home to fice, my first-ever wed (1979) my wonderful wife, DeNise, and to raise attempt to conduct our three daughters. (We now have six grandkids an Oral History in- (ages: newborn to 9!) Dan Monahan & Helen Sommers 2010 terview gave me a unique insight into the 36 year career of Representative After Dixy, I returned to the Legislature, as Com- Helen Sommers. Helen and I both retired from the munications Director for the Senate for six years; Washington state House of Representatives about the and in 1988 returned to the House in communica- same time. Helen concluded her amazing career at tions and in administration for 21 more years until the end of her 18th term on Jan.