The House Democrats met at the end of July to elect the next speaker of the House to replace long-time Speaker Frank Chopp (D–Seattle). The House Democrats chose Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D–Tacoma) as Speaker-designate. Rep. Jinkins has served in the Legislature since 2011 and most recently served as Chair of the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee. Rep. Jinkins’ election is historic in that she is the first women and first open lesbian to serve as speaker. AWC sent a letter of congratulations and a pair of AWC socks to Rep. Jinkins (around the Capitol she is known for her unique socks and for curating the twitter hash tag #walegsocks).
Speaker-designate Jinkins will officially be selected as speaker when session begins in January 2020. Former Speaker Frank Chopp filled the role for an unprecedented 20 years. He announced during the 2019 session that he would be stepping down from that role. Rep. Chopp will continue to serve in the Legislature. Rep. John Lovick (D-Mill Creek) has been serving as acting speaker and will continue to do so during the interim.
State of the Cities survey on the way
AWC’s State of the Cities project takes a look at the issues facing Washington’s cities and towns and identifies common issues and trends as well as what cities need to succeed. We are currently gathering data for the next iteration of State of the Cities and as part of that effort we will be sending out a survey to mayors and city managers this week. If you get the survey, please take the time to complete it. The data you share is instrumental in telling the city story.
2020 Legislative Priorities
AWC’s Legislative Priorities Committee has continued to work throughout the summer via subject-specific subcommittees to review issues for possible inclusion in AWC’s 2020 Legislative Priorities. The full committee will meet again in early September to make recommendations to AWC’s Board of Directors.
If your city has an issue that you would like to see considered as part of the 2020 agenda, please let AWC Advocacy staff know as soon as possible.
Have you met with your legislators yet this summer?
AWC is continuing to focus on our theme of “year-round advocacy”. To be effective city advocates, we all have to pitch in and we can’t wait until the legislative session starts. Now is the best time to be building relationships and communicating with your legislators. So, if you haven’t yet, give them a call and invite them to coffee, invite them for a quick tour of a city project, or ask them to come to a council meeting. Need some additional inspiration - revisit AWC’s Pocket Guide or the infographic below.
