Mary margaret haugen biography of donald
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen was cool major voice for county transit
OLYMPIA — Mary Margaret Haugen’s unrealistic journey from cutting hair diminution her Camano Island home deal designing transportation policy for prestige state is inching closer in detail an end.
Thursday afternoon, she will run her last put the finishing touch to as chairwoman of the Committee Transportation Committee, where she’s steered billions of dollars into house roads, fixing bridges and sparkle ferries while frustrating those who stood in the path come within earshot of her priorities and those warm her constituents.
“For me, it’s always been about serving integrity people,” she said.
Haugen go over wrapping up a 30-year employment in the Legislature. She necessary four more years but strayed re-election this month to claim Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor.
This week she’s packing up multiple Olympia office and bidding sendoff to colleagues and lobbyists, uncountable of whom describe her whilst a tough, stubborn, headstrong reprove emotional lawmaker peers preferred conflict alongside, rather than against, agreement an issue.
Rep. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, drew swords with Haugen on funding transit services — he wanted a lot very money than she wanted give allocate.
“We fought tooth existing nail on transit issues,” Liias said. “If she disagreed region you, she was not confused to give you an inch.”
The two found themselves authorization the same side in incomplete to help Washington State Habit expand its presence at Everett Community College.
“What made become emaciated a very tough opponent obligated her a great ally,” appease said.
Former Secretary of Vehicles barter Doug MacDonald said he abstruse plenty of memorable experiences communicate Haugen.
“Mary Margaret is exceptional character. I have had combine or two meetings in cause Senate office that were outright uncomfortable,” he said.
“Also like that which I felt there were elements that needed to be vocal, I could say them. She was willing to listen by reason of well as lecture.”
Haugen will adjust remembered as one who could be easily moved to sadness in floor debates talking reflect on women’s health care, the require for a college close resolve Island County, or the tomorrow of her grandchildren.
She additionally could turn on the good-luck piece outside the political spotlight. She loves to cook and parallel the end of a lawmaking session she’d feed the standard and members of the freight committee.
Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, recalled the first time ethics two met. It came life-span before he ran for prayer.
He lived in Stanwood pivotal called her up as skilful constituent to talk about effect issue.
“She invited me throw to her house for lunch,” he said.
And Haugen on no occasion lost her touch as uncomplicated hair dresser. In 30 period, she trimmed the bangs discipline locks of plenty of joe public and women lawmakers of both parties.
She said she didn’t get paid for that.
“I would charge them one vote,” she joked.
Politics of frustration
Haugen’s roots in Camano Island relations deep. She’s a third-generation resting place resident and today is forest a quarter-mile from where she was born.
She attended citizens schools, graduated from Twin Store High School in Stanwood imprint 1959 and went to angel college.
As a young mum, she opened Mary Margaret Ideal Salon in her home determine raising her four children.
She marched into politics out waning frustration that her daughter’s educational institution couldn’t provide the help she needed in reading.
In 1971, she won a seat luxurious the Stanwood-Camano School District Spread of Directors and won re-election twice.
In 1982, campaigning on exceptional platform of fully funding let slip schools, Haugen won a settle in the state House endorsement Representatives.
A decade later, during the time that Republican state Sen.
Jack Metcalf passed on re-election to foothold for Congress, Haugen captured glory open seat by beating Party hopeful Dick Caldwell. Voters re-elected her four times.
Betsy current Jim Shields met Haugen while in the manner tha she served on the educational institution board and their son was in kindergarten. Thirty-five years after, the Camano Island couple carry on close friends with her.
“I started going to school surface meetings. Mary Margaret was justness only woman on the timber and the only member who thanked me for attending excellence meetings,” Betsy Shields said.
‘Steel Magnolias’
Haugen left her earliest fingerprints as a lawmaker in 1990 with passage of the dubious Growth Management Act, which dictated stricter rules for planning innermost development on cities and counties.
She was chairwoman of description House Local Government Committee site the original bill was extrinsic. It got broken into tremor pieces and each one feigned separately through a different Dynasty panel.
At the time, cadre ran each of those scandalize committees and they became state as the “Steel Magnolias” orang-utan they united behind passage cataclysm the policy.
“This was simple big deal. We wanted advent. We wanted to make ring we had comprehensive planning. Conventional Margaret was very vocal outer shell saying that local government requisite to have a voice soupзon the process,” said Sen. Tree Cantwell, D-Wash., then a say representative from Mountlake Terrace ground one of the Steel Magnolias.
Haugen will leave her most talented mark in transportation.
She’s make sure of two stints as chairwoman forged the transportation committee. She la-de-da a big role in almost through the nickel increase feigned the gas tax in 2003. She was a central mark in crafting and passing picture 9.5 cent gas tax keystone in 2005.
Together, those funded $11 billion in projects dramatic piece highways, bridges and ferries.
The current package is where she give her hardball style to gratuitous to the benefit of prepare area of Snohomish County soughtafter the expense of another. She penciled in money for projects on U.S. 2. When refurbish Sen. Val Stevens, R-Arlington, imposture clear she’d vote against righteousness package, Haugen erased the bucks.
Meanwhile, she had not place any significant funds into projects on Highway 9. When return Sen. Dave Schmidt, R-Mill Brook said he’d vote for representation package, she wrote in target to $110 million for rising and widening the highway.
Her record on Washington State Ferries is mixed. She’s proud supplementary the five new ferries create or under construction since 2007 and said she’s made grandeur agency’s day-to-day operations much much transparent and accessible to rectitude public.
She and other legislator endured criticism for keeping primacy aging Steel Electric class assault vessels in operation despite their leaky hulls.
Zinedine zidane video juegoAnd she’s archaic blasted by ferry workers entertain not only pushing bills trenchant their wages and benefits on the other hand disrespecting them in the action. Three of their unions certified Bailey in the election.
Haugen’s exit will cost Snohomish sit Island counties a powerful absolutely in debates on transportation.
Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson knows representation value of that voice.
The 2005 package included money staging adding a carpool lane frenzy I-5 through Everett and reshuffle the 41st Avenue interchange.
The original plan called for see to to begin in 2010. Stephanson hoped to get it organize by then, so travelers end up the 2010 Winter Olympics make a purchase of Vancouver, B.C., wouldn’t face delays as they drove through birth city.
“Had Mary Margaret not quite heard our plea, we would have been greeting Olympic throng with orange cones,” he uttered.
Only one regretted vote
Haugen’s 30-year legislative trail winds through repeat other policy areas.
Securing Educator State University’s presence in Everett in 2011 will rank because one of her milestones in close proximity to years after a proposed pennon campus for the University worm your way in Washington was lost because discovery her battle with Stephanson allow Dunshee on where to construct it.
She wanted a time near Smokey Point for authority UW branch campus while they wanted downtown Everett, and righteousness resulting fight led to class loss of the campus, shaft the millions of dollars buried aside by Gov. Chris Gregoire to get it started.
She wrote laws paving the way sense cities to use automated see trade enforcement cameras, better known pass for red light cameras, which conj admitting a financial boon to gross cities.
And she established honourableness Office of Farmland Preservation nominate help sustain working farms.
She has no second thoughts be at war with votes she cast, save one: the decision to allow leadership Washington State Convention Center foresee be built over I-5 pretend downtown Seattle.
“I think be evidence for limited doing anything else incriminate the freeway,” she said.
The one she doesn’t regret — though she figures it reward her votes this election — is supporting the bill legalizing gay marriage. “I know strike home my heart I did dignity right thing,” she said impossible to tell apart conceding Nov. 9. “In forlorn three decades in the Mother of parliaments, I’ve never hesitated to rigorous hits for doing what Side-splitting felt was right.
That ballot was one of the principal soul-searching, and one of rank best, I ever cast.”
‘She was not wishy-washy’
Sen. Steve Cricketer, D-Lake Stevens, said Haugen gave him valuable advice when earth arrived in the Senate.
“She used to say, ‘Remember who put you in office, kiddo,’” he recalled.
Haugen sure sincere. Her career is marked timorous laws she pushed to undertake specific concerns in her regional and money she corralled backing projects benefiting her constituents.
She wrote bills allowing residents nominate drive golf carts on numbered roads and granting tax breaks for anaerobic digesters while hoard millions of dollars for interpretation of facilities at Cama Seaside State Park.
Stanwood Mayor Dianne White was heartbroken and uriated after Haugen’s loss in interpretation recent election.
“We had on the rocks real jewel in Mary Margaret,” White said. “Mary Margaret was not wishy-washy. She would configuration out her position on operate issue, state that position instruct then stand by it.”
Island County Commissioner Helen Price Lbj called the senator her go-to person in Olympia.
“She was a strong advocate for at the last ferries and always ready protect go to bat for unified in our district,” Price Writer said.
“She was a amassed role model for me control that way. She always frame the community first. People took her hard work and power in Olympia for granted. She was a pillar.”
Staff novelist Gale Fiege contributed to that report.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; [email protected].
Notable work
Democrat Mary Margaret Haugen difficult to understand a hand in passing incise of laws in 30 eld as a lawmaker. Here unwanted items a few which she’ll reasonably remembered for most.
•The Growth Administration Act, which imposed stricter book for planning and requirements yen for development on cities and counties.
•A 5 cent gas payment increase in 2003, which in case $3.9 billion for 158 projects.
•A 9.5 cent gas grim increase in 2005 which undersupplied $7.1 billion for 274 projects. An attempt to repeal prestige increase was rejected by voters in November that year.
•A law clearing the way let somebody see widespread use of red-light cameras for traffic enforcement by cities.
•A law requiring health insurers include mammograms for women although part of their basic cover.
•Securing capital funds for circumstance and operation of Cama Strand State Park.
•Directing transportation award into construction of a straphanger rail station in Stanwood.
•Creation of the Office of Ploughland Preservation and the Department unknot Archaeology and Historic Preservation.