Rep. Dawn Morrell, D-Puyallup, who has been filling in as caucus chairwoman since the death of former caucus chairman Rep. Bill Grant of Walla Walla, won the permanent job Wednesday.
That gives Pierce County a leadership position in the House majority caucus, something it hasn’t had since Rep. Brian Ebersole of Tacoma was House Speaker more than a decade ago.
Meeting behind closed doors, House Democrats – there are 62 in all – rejected House Speaker Frank Chopp’s reputed favorite for the job on the second ballot. That was Rep. Mark Ericks, D-Bothell, who is still vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. (Rep. John McCoy of Tulalip lost in the first round.)
Morrell then won the runoff elections from among herself, Pat Sullivan of Covington and Timm Ormsby of Spokane.
Morrell had been caucus vice chair. Her victory was a bit of a surprise. The Service Employees International Union, one of Chopp’s favorite groups of stakeholders, doesn’t care too much for Morrell. Last year, she blocked its caregiver training bill because it was too expensive, forcing the union to put I-1029 on the ballot. The union won among voters.
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