Gov. Gregoire announces new cabinet appointments

For Immediate Release: February 16, 2005

Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced she is appointing Mark Sidran chairman of the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). She also is appointing Philip Jones to one of the three commission posts.

Gregoire also announced several other appointments:

• John King�s reappointment as director of the Department of Veterans Affairs


• Karen Lee as commissioner of the Employment Security Department


• Gary Robinson as director of the Department of Information Services

The governor said her UTC appointments come at a vital time for important issues on energy, transportation, water, solid waste, natural gas and telecommunications.

�Both Mark and Phil will bring a balanced view to the UTC,� the governor said. �In regulating utilities, the commission must strike a balance between ensuring affordable rates and adequate supplies to customers and the reasonable investment-backed expectations of those who build and maintain utilities.�

The governor said Sidran has nearly 30 years experience as an attorney, and a distinguished history of public service as both a prosecutor and 12 years as Seattle city attorney. He currently is partner with the Foster Pepper and Shefelman law firm. Gregoire said Sidran is someone who has earned the respect of business, environmental and consumer groups, community leaders and politicians on both sides of the aisle because he is smart, fair and a problem-solver.

Jones is a consultant who has a long history in international trade, energy policy and public affairs. He first began working on federal energy issues in the 1980s on then-Senator Dan Evans� staff.

Gov. Gregoire said she is directing Sidran and the commission to provide particular leadership in addressing the challenging issues facing the energy and telecommunication industries in the Northwest.

�It is vital that we protect our consumers and our economy against predatory energy market manipulations like Enron�s or unfair and unreasonable rate hikes at the Bonneville Power Administration,� Sidran said.

John King has been director of Veterans Affairs for eight years. The governor noted that King plans to retire in November, at which time she will appoint his deputy, John Lee, as director.

The governor said she has asked Veterans Affairs to pay special attention to the transitional needs of servicemen and women returning from duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. She also charged Veterans Affairs with continuing to address the issues of homelessness among veterans, in collaboration with cities and other public and private entities around the state. It is estimated that on any given day, there are up to 5,000 homeless veterans in Washington state, of which roughly half are Vietnam veterans.

Said King: �We�re facing serious consequences with the federal budget and the potential impact on Washington�s veterans community. Concerns about access to health care are looming, waiting lines will grow longer, and the future of the Walla Walla medical center and other special services for veterans such as mental-health care are in a state of change. This all comes at a time when the nation is producing new veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq.�

The governor appointed Karen Lee commissioner of the Employment Security Department, which supports workers during times of unemployment and helps them get back in the workforce.

Lee is director of gas operations for Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue, where she has held various jobs since 1997. Before that, she was an associate attorney with Preston Gates & Ellis in Seattle.

�I am proud and excited about this opportunity to serve the citizens of the state of Washington,� Lee said. �The Employment Security Department plays a key role in the economic well-being of the state. Although there are serious challenges facing this department in the months to come, I look forward to working with department employees and stakeholders to meet and overcome those challenges so that we can assist citizens in securing jobs and assist businesses in meeting their employment requirements.�

Gregoire said Lee is �an experienced manager who is focused, fearless and analytical. I view her as a change agent for an agency that is in transition.�

The governor said she has instructed Lee to focus on two issues in particular:

• The budgetary challenges that come from reduced federal funding under the Workforce Investment Act.


• Coordination with other state agency directors to ensure that people are able to get back to work as timely as possible.

Gregoire also announced that Paul Trause has agreed to return to the Employment Security Department to work with Lee as her deputy commissioner. Trause has been the director of the Department of Labor and Industries since 2002. Before that, he was the deputy commissioner at ESD, so his understanding of the agency and its issues will help Lee and her team hit the ground running, the governor said.

The governor also announced the appointment of Gary Robinson as director of the Department of Information Services. Robinson served as acting director of DIS in 2001 and 2002, and currently is senior assistant director at the Office of Financial Management.

The governor said she asked Robinson to aggressively provide information systems that will improve state agency accountability and performance. She also challenged him to provide innovative and creative leadership that will move Washington to the next level in information technology.

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