Inslee to discuss Senate actions on cabinet appointees

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee will address the ousting of one cabinet member and the resigning of another at a news conference Monday morning.

And he may respond to a Republican senator’s warning that his appointees “shape up” or more of them may lose their jobs.

Inslee is scheduled to meet with reporters at 10:30 a.m.

On Friday, the GOP-controlled Senate fired Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson when 24 Republicans and one Democrat voted to not confirm her appointment. She had been on the job three years and in June received the support of the Senate Transportation Committee.

That same day Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, tweeted “Note to other Inslee Appointees: Shape up, Do your job. Serve the people w/accountability. Or more heads are going to roll.”

Then Saturday, Secretary of Corrections Dan Pacholke announced his resignation, saying he hoped it would end GOP senators’ “shaming and blaming” of agency workers for the mistakes that led to the early release of hundreds of convicted criminals since 2002.

Pacholke did not indicate if Peterson’s firing influenced his decision. He too had not yet been confirmed by the Senate.

Overall, fewer than half of Inslee’s current executive cabinet has been confirmed.

Here is a list of the confirmed and their confirmation dates followed by those awaiting action by the Senate.

CONFIRMED

Major General Bret Daugherty, Adjutant General, Military Department (Feb. 26, 2013)

Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, Director, Department of Veteran Affairs (Feb. 28, 2013)

David Schumacher, Director, Office of Financial Management (March 25, 2013)

Scott Jarvis, Director, Department of Financial Institutions (April 3, 2013)

John Batiste, Chief, Washington State Patrol (April 9, 2013)

David Danner, Chairman, Utilities and Transportation Commission (April 11, 2013)

Maia Bellon, Secretary, Department of Ecology (April 15, 2013)

John Weisman, Secretary, Department of Health (March 12, 2014)

Pat Kohler, Director, Department of Licensing, (March 11, 2015)

Derek Sandison, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (June 26, 2015)

Vikki Smith, Director of the Department of Revenue (Feb. 5, 2016)

AWAITING CONFIRMATION

Brian Bonlender, Secretary, Department of Commerce

Kevin Quigley, Secretary, Department of Social and Health Services

Ross Hunter, Director, Department of Early Learning

Dorothy Frost Teeter, Director, Health Care Authority

Dale Peinecke, Commissioner, Employment Security Department

Christopher Liu, Director, Department of Enterprise Services

Joel Sacks, Director, Department of Labor and Industries

Marcie Frost, Director, Department of Retirement Systems

Michael Cockrill, Director, Washington Technology Solutions (IT Officer)

Gene Sharatt, Chairman, Washington Student Achievement Council

Sheida Sahandy, Executive Director, Puget Sound Partnership