Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown said today she wants Democrat Nick Harper of Everett sworn into office Monday and any try to keep him out “would create a divisive, poisonous atmosphere” on the opening day of the 2011 session.
Brown made her point in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mike H
ewitt who thinks Harper should not be seated out until a court decides if actions by a political committee backing Harper broke the law and require a do-over election as a remedy. The state has sued Moxie Media of Seattle for alleged violations of campaign finance laws and it could be months before the legal fight ends.
Harper is set to succeed Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, who finished third in the August primary and has been trying to keep him from taking her place ever since.
The rift between Hewitt and Brown emerged in November. At that time, Hewitt wrote Brown to say he opposed seating Harper and even offered not to vote on bills in which one vote might make the difference for Democrats.
Brown wrote back today and sent a copy of her letter (attached as a PDF) to every other member of the Senate
“There is no rationale offered for not seating Senator-elect Harper that is not transparently political,” she said.
Continuing, she said, “voting to unseat a duly elected member of the body would create a divisive, poisonous atmosphere on the very first day of the legislative session.”
Hewitt said this morning that while he doesn’t think Harper should be seated he isn’t planning to try to keep him out.
The state Constitution lets the Senate decide who it seats. Only once has it not seated someone. That came in 1941 when it kept out Lenus Westman of Arlington because of his ties to the Communist Party.
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