For a few days during the 2006 Legislature, no one wanted any part of Rep. Brian Sullivan.
They openly avoided the Democratic Mukilteo lawmaker’s desk and turned away from his gaze when they passed.They acted like he had the plague. He sure looked like he did.
Pale, fever-ridden and voiceless, Sullivan dragged his crud-infected body to the floor of the House of Representatives to vote.
He would not skip any of the 707 roll call votes. He told himself this would not be a repeat of 2005 when illness and legislative duties kept him from voting 64 times.
“I certainly didn’t want it to be inferred that I am not a hard worker,” Sullivan said. “I got off my death bed this year and voted.”
Sullivan is one of 12 Snohomish and Island county representatives with perfect voting records this session, according to WashingtonVotes.org, an arm of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Washington Policy Center.
The others are Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor; Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline; Mark Ericks, D-Bothell; Ruth Kagi, D-Lake Forest Park; Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish; John Lovick, D-Mill Creek; Al O’Brien, D-Mountlake Terrace; Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe; Mary Helen Roberts, D-Edmonds; Mike Sells, D-Everett; and Chris Strow, R-Clinton.
Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, missed five, the most of any representative in the county delegation.
The only vote Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, missed this year came on the law he co-sponsored banning discrimination against gays and lesbians.
That day, McCoy received the “Executive of the Year” award from the Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle. He asked House leadership to delay action until his return, but they didn’t.
McCoy did get a second chance. After the Senate amended the bill, he voted on the final version enacted into law.
In the Senate, where roll call votes were taken on 573 bills and amendments, no local senator completed the session without a miss.
Achieving perfection is more difficult for them. Senators must cast their own votes whereas in the House, members can have others vote for them as long as they are in the chamber.
Sen. Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, had the fewest misses, three, followed by Sen. Jean Berkey, D-Everett, with four.
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, scored the highest number: 46. She was last year’s “winner” too with 68.
“I knew I had a lot because I was off the floor negotiating quite a bit,” she said.
Haugen runs the Senate Transportation Committee. In the final week, Haugen huddled with Gov. Chris Gregoire and others for hours to hammer out a deal on regional transportation. It was one of the final bills passed by the Legislature.
“I was so busy,” Haugen said. “I never had a session where we had so much negotiating.”
To see which votes were missed, go to www.Washington Votes.org.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield’s column on politics runs every Sunday. He can be heard at 7 a.m. Monday on the “Morning Show” on KSER 90.7 FM. He can be reached at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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