Former Gov. John Spellman’s death reminds us of a time in Washington state politics when getting elected to office didn’t necessitate taking up arms in hyper-partisanship to block legislation, no matter how worthy, just because its sponsoring member is affiliated with another party.
While we’re most familiar with the histrionics demonstrated at the federal level in Washington D.C. — much of it orchestrated by our current commander-in-chief — partisan squabbling at the state level in the Legislature needlessly delayed passage of the capital budget last session. And the partisan stonewalling continues into this session, as well. While it wouldn’t be fair to overstate the current conflict in Olympia — there are plenty of examples of bipartisanship to share — but when it comes to making difficult decisions through compromise by reaching out across the aisle, the current climate in the state Legislature pales in comparison to the shared values that legislators of both parties demonstrated a couple of decades ago.
Spellman, a jovial, mainstream Republican Washington state governor in the 1980s, was a team player in the truest sense of the term — a consensus builder without a partisan axe to grind. He carried the ball for Washington state’s citizens, not just for those in his political party’s orbit.
Likewise, legendary Washington Gov. Dan Evans has been widely considered as one of the best, most effective state leaders ever elected to office in the United States. An environmentalist who also was a prudent Republican, Evans was a model for measured, moderate political leadership.
Other officeholders who served in state and federal posts that era also are shining examples of those who valued bipartisanship. Former U.S. Rep. John Miller, a Republican who once served on the Seattle City Council, comes to mind. U.S. Rep. Tom Foley, a Spokane Democrat who served as Speaker of the House in the nation’s capital, recognized that bipartisanship was the key to crafting good legislation.
These days, however, the act of working in a bipartisan manner or comprising for the sake of moving forward important legislation — at the risk of alienating vows of political purity — takes a fair amount of courage for any legislator.
Two legislators from our region — 26th Legislative District state Rep. Michelle Caldier, a Republican from Port Orchard, and 23rd Legislative District state Rep. Sherry Appleton, a Democrat from Poulsbo — have worked together in bipartisanship fashion on legislation important to Kitsap County and the state.
Their example of working together is a blueprint for others to follow in Olympia. Cooperation is vital to the success of our representative democracy here, and at all levels of government.
