The state Senate will see two more new faces in January after counties filled positions left open by one retirement and one lawmaker leaving for Congress.
Deb Krishnadasan was appointed Wednesday at a meeting of the Pierce County Council and Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, and will replace Emily Randall in the 26th legislative district. Both counties were involved in the process because the district encompasses parts of both. Randall resigned on Dec. 8 and will assume her new office as a U.S. Representative for the 6th Congressional District in January.
Krishnadasan is a former Peninsula School Board president and Gig Harbor Democrat. In a statement provided Thursday, Krishnadasan said that due to her experience serving on the school board, she knows that “policy must come from a place of listening to my neighbors — to teachers and nurses, parents and every person in our community.”
“I look forward to working with my new Senate colleagues to improve education, advance public transportation and infrastructure, and expand economic opportunities for all Washingtonians,” she added.
On Tuesday, House Speaker pro tempore Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, was appointed to the Senate to represent the 33rd Legislative District, encompassing parts of King County and including Burien, SeaTac, Des Moines and parts of Kent, Tukwila and Renton.
Orwall, appointed by the King County Council Tuesday, said in a statement that she was honored to be able to serve her community in a new capacity.
“I’m incredibly humbled to earn the trust of my community and will continue to do everything I can to improve the lives of all people living in our district and throughout our state,” Orwall said.
Orwall, first elected to the House of Representatives in 2008, will replace longtime Sen. Karen Keiser, who announced her retirement from the Legislature earlier this year. Edwin Obras, a deputy division director at the Human Services Department in Seattle, was also appointed Tuesday to fill Orwall’s vacant seat in the House.
Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad said in a statement Thursday that state Democrats “were proud to ensure the fifth election in a row” that grew their legislative majorities.
“We look forward to these newest members of the Democratic caucus in Olympia working on behalf of all Washingtonians to address housing insecurity, promote public safety, and look to progressive revenue options,” Conrad added.
The legislative session will begin on Jan. 13.
