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Gov. Gregoire Appoints Jim Clements of Selah to the Public Disclosure Commission

For Immediate Release: January 11, 2008

OLYMPIA--Governor Chris Gregoire has appointed former legislator Jim Clements to a five-year term on the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC).

�Jim has demonstrated time and again the high level of integrity needed for someone to fill this position effectively,� Gov. Gregoire said. �I am confident he will serve the citizens of Washington well.�

Clements succeeds Earl Tilley, former 12th District legislator and Wenatchee Mayor.

�I�m very pleased and honored that the governor considered me for this commission,� Clements said from his home in Selah. �The reason I accepted this position is I know this agency is top gun.�

Clements served one term as a Washington State Senator, having been appointed after Senator Alex Deccio resigned. He served 12 years in the House of Representatives, representing the 14th District which includes Yakima, Union Gap, Selah, Naches and all of Western Yakima County.

He is a descendent of a pioneer Yakima Valley family, a long-time orchardist and the head of a family-operated farm in Selah. Clements graduated from the University of Idaho and the College of Idaho and is a former high school principal and teacher. He served six years as a Washington State Apple Commissioner and is a former radio commentator.

The PDC was created by voter initiative in 1973 to provide timely and meaningful public access to information about the financing of political campaigns, lobbyist expenditures, and the financial affairs of public officials and candidates. It ensures compliance with disclosure provisions, contribution limits, campaign practices and other campaign finance laws.

Washington�s PDC topped all 50 other states for the fourth year in a row in a survey conducted by the Campaign Disclosure Project of the UCLA School of Law, the Center for Governmental Studies, and the California Voter Foundation. Washington had the nation�s best electronic filing program and accessibility of campaign finance data, according to the report.

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