*Zoom Starts on December 10 at 5pm*
Every year the Kitsap LWV sponsors a December Meet and Greet which gives our members a chance to meet some of our locally elected officials and discuss issues of interest for the coming year. Usually this is in the form of a brunch or luncheon which we host, however this year is different, just like everything else, and the event will be a virtual Zoom meeting. The meeting will be open to League members and all members of our local Legislative delegation from the 23rd, 26th, and 35th Legislative Districts are invited. This year we will focus on state revenue needs – how can we meet the expected revenue gap and fund priority needs? We will start the discussion with a brief presentation by our elected representatives and then open it up to questions from our members.
Time: Dec 10, 2020 5:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9256409002
Meeting ID: 925 640 9002
Passcode: LWVKZOOM
Phone in (audio only) +1 253 215 8782
These are the confirmed legislators at the Meet & Greet
Dan Griffey is currently serving his third term representing the 35th Legislative District, which includes Mason County and parts of Kitsap and Thurston counties. He is the House Republican Whip, responsible for maintaining decorum during caucus meetings and ensuring caucus activities are carried out in an orderly fashion. He also serves on the three House committees: Human Services and Early Learning, Local Government, and Public Safety.
Dan began his career of service as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 16 and, at the time, was one of the youngest EMTs in Washington state. He was hired as a professional firefighter for Central Mason in 1992, where he continues serving as a lieutenant. In addition to his career and his service as a state legislator, Dan remains active in the community, volunteering for various causes and organizations.
Dan has been married to his wife, Dinah, for more than 26 years. The Griffeys have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. They are currently raising their grandson, William.
Sen. Emily Randall was born and raised on the Kitsap Peninsula in a hardworking union family. As a community organizer and advocate for health care and education, she is focused on putting the people of the 26th District first. She was elected to the state Senate in November 2018. Emily is now the chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee and vice chair of the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. She also serves on the Senate Transportation Committee.
Growing up in Port Orchard, Emily learned the value of education from her parents and her teachers. Her dad worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and her mom started a career as a para-educator when Emily was in high school. As the first in her family to attend a four-year college, she knows how important it is to make the path to higher education more accessible. She is dedicated to using her position on the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee to prioritize affordable college tuition, apprenticeship and job training programs to prepare students for living-wage jobs at local businesses.
Since graduating from Wellesley College, Emily has dedicated herself to expanding education opportunities and access to affordable health care for women, children and LGBTQ folks around the country. This cause is personal for her: Emily’s sister Olivia was born with severe developmental and physical disabilities, and it was their family’s access to Medicaid that made it possible for Olivia to live a happy life in their family home for 19 years. Emily believes that all families should have access to the health care they need to keep their families together, and no one should be at risk of bankruptcy because of their health care needs. In her first session as a legislator, she sponsored and passed the Reproductive Health Care for All bill and built a pathway to universal health care.
Moving forward, she plans to continue making progress toward affordable higher education and expanded health care access. She is proud to serve her community in the state Senate and to put people first.
Sen. Christine Rolfes represents the 23rd Legislative District, which includes the Kitsap County communities of Hansville, Kingston, Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Keyport, Silverdale, and East Bremerton. Since her election to the state House of Representatives in 2006, Christine has become a leading voice on education funding and reform, small businesses, ferries, military-families and veterans, and the environment. Her efforts have yielded tangible results for the 23rd district and Washington State as a whole.
She chairs the Senate Ways and Means Committee, responsible for leading the development of the state’s $52 billion biennial budget. Under her leadership the legislature has, for the past two legislative sessions, delivered a four-year balanced budget on-time, with billions set aside in strategic reserves and historic investments in environmental restoration and public education. In August of 2019, the state’s bond ratings were upgraded by Moody’s Investor Services to Aaa for the first time, due primarily to sound fiscal practices and a diversified and strong economy.
In addition to her current work as budget leader, Christine has long been an environmental champion, sponsoring legislation related to reducing toxic pollution, protecting orca whales and other endangered species, cleaning up Puget Sound, and preventing oil spills. She was a key partner in the preservation of thousands of acres of working forests and recreational lands near Port Gamble. She currently serves on the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Christine also serves on the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, the Advisory Board of the William D. Ruckelhaus Center, and the Puget Sound Partnership’s Ecosystem Coordination Board.
Prior to being elected to the State Legislature, Christine was twice elected to the Bainbridge Island City Council, where she led on non-motorized transportation, water access, and open space preservation-related issues.
In addition to her elected public service, she has worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development on natural resource management, trade and development issues, primarily in Russia, and for Kitsap County acquiring open-space and parkland and planning under growth management.
Christine earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
She and her husband Leonard raised their now college-aged daughters in an historic farmhouse on Bainbridge Island, where the family still lives with their two goats, six chickens, and indoor pet rabbit.
Tarra Simmons is member-elect of the Washington House of Representatives, representing District 23-Position 1. She assumes office on January 11, 2021. Raised in Bremerton, she has faced some of the biggest barriers to success and opportunity – from poverty, to opioid use disorder and incarceration. It was with the help of this community – friends, family, colleagues and neighbors – and its resilience – that she was able to overcome these circumstances and become a tireless advocate for change.
Tarra doesn’t simply talk about challenges; she has faced them herself. After her incarceration, she experienced firsthand the challenges of re-entry – economic insecurity, housing affordability, and lack of access to healthcare, education, and job skills training. These are big challenges that many people from all walks of life in our community face on a daily basis.
As a registered nurse, Tarra advocated for her patients and our community for over a decade. After starting her own recovery journey, she decided to go to law school to learn how to make a larger impact on the community. Tarra graduated with honors and received the prestigious Skadden fellowship to help people get the legal counsel they need to move on after criminal justice involvement. When the Washington State Bar refused to admit her, she took her fight to the State Supreme Court – and won in a unanimous same-day decision that highlighted the need for opportunities and second chances for ALL people.
Tarra is also the co-founder of the Civil Survival Project, a nonprofit organization that provides legal and policy advocacy to help formerly incarcerated people better reintegrate in their communities. In 2016, Tarra was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the Washington State Reentry Council where she was elected by her peers as co-chair. He has also appointed her to the Public Defense Advisory Board, and she serves as an advisory board member to the Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission.
Tarra has played a key role in advocacy efforts on behalf of her community, focusing on education, healthcare, and income equality. Most recently, her activism and leadership helped pass the New Hope Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that streamlines the process for reintegration after incarceration.
In addition to her work with the Civil Survival Project, Tarra serves on the board of the Economic Opportunity Institute and volunteers with the Central Kitsap School District to support policies that end the school to prison pipeline. She recently received Sen. Patty Murray’s Golden Tennis Shoe Award and the “Woman of Achievement” award from YWCA Kitsap County.
Tarra lives with her husband Eric, their three children, and their dog, in Bremerton.
Jesse Young represents the 26th District and was appointed to the House in 2014 to fill the seat vacated by Jan Angel, who was elected to the Senate. He went on to earn a full term after winning the 2014 election. With unrivaled attention to detail, Jesse brings an innovative and unique skill set to the Legislature and has quickly established himself as a thought-leader among his colleagues.
Raised in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood, Jesse’s childhood was marked by periods of homelessness and poverty. Through hard work, a trait he learned from his mother, he went on to have a highly successful career at Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma where he graduated with a 4.0 GPA. In addition to being named Valedictorian of his graduating class, he was also honored by the Washington State Legislature as a Washington State Scholar in 1995.
Upon graduation, Jesse was accepted into the University of Notre Dame. Throughout his time at Notre Dame, he was a committed student-athlete, competing with the Fighting Irish Track and Field team as a varsity pole vaulter, while also working in the dining hall to pay for his education. In 1999, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems (BBA-MIS) from the distinguished Mendoza College of Business.
Jesse’s career as an IT consultant has put him in the board room of major corporations, both nationally and internationally. Relying on the lessons he learned in the high-paced technology sector, he has developed a knack for problem solving, which he has put to use in the Legislature.
As a member of the House Transportation, Commerce and Gaming , and Technology and Economic Development Committees, Jesse has a solutions-oriented reputation. His priorities include bold reforms to tackle the issues facing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, developing policies to foster economic development in the 26th District and entire state, and fully funding K-12 education so students and teachers have the resources they need to be successful.
Growing up in the Puget Sound region, Jesse has always had a strong appreciation for military veterans. He has long been a proactive supporter of veteran causes and continues to seek ways to ensure they have the necessary resources both during their service and when they transition back to civilian life. Furthermore, as an economic driver and nationally strategic base, Jesse feels it is a major priority to protect and foster growth for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.
Jesse is married to his high school sweetheart, Jennie. They reside in Gig Harbor and have five children. Together they are active in several community organizations and events including local Rotary, Communities in Schools, Chamber, and Navy League functions.