Gov. Christine Gregoire announces new Ecology director, State Patrol chief and reappointment of Health secretary

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2005

Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced she is appointing Olympia environmental attorney Jay Manning as director of the Washington Department of Ecology and Port of Seattle Deputy Police Chief John Batiste as chief of the Washington State Patrol.

Gregoire also announced that she is reappointing Mary Selecky as secretary of the Washington Department of Health.

�We will never achieve greatness in environmental quality unless we all work together,� Gov. Gregoire said. �As the Department of Ecology�s new director, Jay will help us do that.�

The governor said Manning brings a balance of experience on environmental issues. He has represented private businesses and municipalities as they work to comply with complex environmental regulations. He has also worked extensively with Indian tribes and environmental organizations. Manning also served for many years in the attorney general�s office representing a number of environmental agencies.

Currently, Manning is a partner with the environmental law firm Brown, Reavis and Manning. He formerly was chief of the Ecology Division of the Washington State Attorney General�s Office and successfully negotiated the Hanford Tri-Party Agreement � the 30-year agreement to clean up the Hanford Nuclear Site.

In addition to his role in protecting and restoring Washington�s land, air and water, Gov. Gregoire said she is directing Manning to:

• Improve the efficiency, timeliness and predictability of Ecology�s decision-making.


• Work with farmers, water suppliers, tribes and environmental groups to make progress in resolving water supply/stream-flow disputes.


• Launch a process called Environment 2020 that would involve Washington citizens in a planning process �to look to the future and decide as a state what we want our environment to be like 15 years from now.�

�I�m very excited about this opportunity,� Manning said. �I understand full well how challenging a job it is and how important the issues are. I look forward to listening to and working with all the people and groups around the state who are concerned about environmental issues. Our citizens care deeply about Washington�s environment, and I will work hard to bring together those who traditionally disagree about how to provide needed protection. We owe it to the coming generations to work together and to put politics and polarization behind us.�

The choice of Manning as Ecology director drew praise from environmental and business leaders.

�I have worked with Jay Manning on a number of contentious environmental issues,� said Judith Runstad, co-chair of the State Competitiveness Council. She noted that Manning played a key role in the negotiations that led to a settlement of a major dispute regarding shoreline protection. �I think Jay's continuous constructive, creative involvement was indispensable to the success of the mediation,� she said.

�I think Jay will be a great director of the Department of Ecology,� said Mike Jeldness, water use coordinator for Dungeness Water Users Association and manager of the Agnew Irrigation District. �We worked with Jay in implementing water use efficiencies in the Dungeness watershed. He brings a broad perspective and a unique ability to bring people together to solve water disputes.�

Joseph Ryan, president of the Washington Environmental Council, said, �Jay has extensive policy knowledge, superb negotiating skills, and an extraordinary ability to listen to all sides of complex issues. He has a unique ability to bring diverse interests together.�

The new State Patrol chief �brings a perspective of sheriffs and police chiefs and other local law enforcement, as well as intimate knowledge of the patrol and its responsibilities,� Gov. Gregoire said. Batiste currently is deputy chief of the Port of Seattle Police Department where he is responsible for all organizational responsibilities. He also was assistant chief of police for the city of Tacoma.

Batiste also served in the Washington State Patrol for 26 years, beginning as a trooper cadet in Everett and Bellevue and later serving in leadership roles in Tacoma, Olympia, Wenatchee, Bellevue and finally as Human Resources Division Commander for the state patrol.

Gov. Gregoire said she has directed Chief Batiste to:

• Continue Washington�s record of having one of the lowest highway traffic deaths in the nation.


• Find ways to increase trooper pay scales, now in the bottom quartile, and reduce staff turnover due to low salaries.


• Continue work to provide better access for the news media.

�I am honored and excited to be chosen to lead the outstanding men and women of the Washington State Patrol,� Batiste said. �I look forward to continuing to provide professional safety service to the citizens of the state of Washington at the highest level.�

Gov. Gregoire said, �In searching for cabinet appointees, we have cast a nationwide net asking professional associations and others for the best and brightest candidates. In our search for a secretary of Health, the message was the same wherever we went: You have the best candidate right at home.�

Selecky has served as secretary of the Department of Health since 1999. She formerly served for 20 years as administrator of the Northeast Tri-County Health District in Colville.

Gov. Gregoire said she has directed Selecky to:

• Ensure public confidence that the state�s health-care professionals provide safe quality care for their patients, including removing providers who jeopardize patient safety.


• Continue to make progress in driving down the numbers of young people who use tobacco.


• Build on vital partnerships with local government to protect and improve the health of people in our state. �We have one of the best public health systems in the nation, but tight budgets at the state and local level are threatening delivery of this critical care,� Gregoire said.

�Our state is making great progress on public health issues like tobacco prevention and emergency preparedness,� said Selecky. �I am honored to serve as secretary of Health and look forward to continuing this and other important work to make our state safer and healthier.�

Gov. Gregoire noted that both the State Patrol and Department of Health play key front-line roles in Homeland Security. She said she has charged Selecky, Chief Batiste and the Military Department head Gen. Timothy Lowenberg to maintain Washington as a leader in the nation on readiness.

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