Joe McDermott, a
Seattle Democrat, was appointed to the Washington state
senate on October 15, making him that body's second openly
gay member, according to a press release from the
Washington Senate Democratic Caucus. McDermott was
appointed by the King County Council to fill a vacancy
left by Sen. Erik Poulson, who left for another position.
McDermott and his
partner, Michael, live in west Seattle, where McDermott
keeps active with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce,
Vashon Allied Arts, and Highline Historical Society.
McDermott also serves on the boards of the West
Seattle Helpline and Southwest Youth and Family
Services.
"We look
forward to welcoming Joe to the senate," Majority
Leader Lisa Brown said in the release. "We know
he is passionate about education, and he will continue
the 34th district tradition of strong advocacy for the
environment."
According to the
statement, McDermott has represented the 34th
legislative district in the house of representatives since
2000. "It's a journey of not much more
than a few dozen yards between the house and senate,
but I'm tremendously eager to get started,"
McDermott said in the release. A legislative champion
of education, McDermott is also an effective advocate
for electoral, public disclosure, and civil rights
issues. Chief among his accomplishments is legislation that
revamped the Washington Assessment of Student Learning
and the State Board of Education. He also sponsored
measures adding sexual orientation to the
state's antidiscrimination laws and creating a
domestic-partnership registry. Long concerned about
secondhand smoke, McDermott introduced
Washington's first comprehensive ban on smoking in
indoor public places. (The Advocate)
