Adios to Washington’s Denny Heck, Chris Petersen - two leaders in different fields with much in common
Denny Heck, the four-term congressman who represents Thurston and part of Pierce County, caught me and other political observers off guard Wednesday when he said he was retiring. For most members of our state’s congressional delegation, eight years is a warm-up lap.
But Heck’s announcement may be only the second-most surprising farewell notice from a Washington public leader this week. In some circles, especially ones ringed with purple and gold, the bigger shocker came from Chris Petersen, the University of Washington football coach. The UW announced through a statement Monday that Petersen wanted to “recharge.”
The 10th District congressman and UW football figurehead aren’t often mentioned in the same breath, and their departures will play out under different circumstances.
Heck, 67, has a year to go before he leaves at the end of his current term; Petersen, 55, will skedaddle after a bowl game this month. Heck’s successor will be decided by voters in 2020; Petersen’s replacement, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, was lined up within a few hours of Petersen telling the UW athletic director he was resigning.
Some may wag a scolding finger at me for attempting to draw comparisons between a congressman and a coach. Admittedly, the stakes are higher for Heck, assigned a key role in historic impeachment proceedings as a member of the House Intelligence Committee, than they are for Petersen, whose biggest concern each year is striving to win the Pac 12 title.
But some parallels between the two men are striking. There are lessons we can learn about the inevitable burnout of people we pay handsomely to be high-profile public officials, about the toxicity of modern-day communication practices (i.e., social media) and about how to exit gracefully at the right time, on one’s own terms.
Both men started their current gigs in 2013, Heck carrying a long Democratic political resume in Olympia and Petersen arriving after a spectacular run of gridiron success at Boise State University.
Both say they decided to step aside upon reflection during Thanksgiving week. And both openly acknowledge being worn down inside the fishbowl of public life.
“It becomes a lot of frustration and anxiety and stress. And some of the excitement and positivity and optimism can be pushed away, and that’s never a way to lead your life,” Petersen said at his valedictory press conference.
The last time I saw Heck, he had a bag of scones in his hand and a pair of cowboy boots on his feet, fresh from the 2018 Puyallup Fair. Meeting with the TNT Editorial Board and making a strong case for reelection, he showed no sign of being saddle sore from the campaign trail.
Now we see an example of how the Washington D.C. grind takes its toll. In particular, Heck wrote in his retirement announcement, the impeachment inquiry and Russia election-meddling probe have “rendered my soul weary.” Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, after seeing him wear his emotions on his sleeve during witness testimony.
He went on to lament the corrosion of civic discourse, perpetuated by President Trump but not started by him. “At times, it is as though there are no rules or boundaries,” Heck wrote this week. “Success seems to be measured by how many Twitter followers one has, which are largely gained by saying increasingly outrageous things, the more personal the better.”
It’s a trend with a Svengali-like hold over young people who’ve never known a world without social media — young people like those Petersen has coached and recruited his whole career.
Arguably no coach has tried to tackle the problem as aggressively as Petersen. At Boise State, he banned players from using Twitter. At UW, he relented but brought in a consultant to teach players how to use social media appropriately. And he remained wary deep into his tenure.
“We all know how addicting that can be, the more time you spend on it,” Petersen told reporters a year ago. “It’s like eating bad food. The more you do it, the more you want it.”
Today I feel admiration for Heck and Petersen for choosing to give up immense power and large salaries and for focusing on what matters most: their families and self-care.
How fitting that Heck used a sports metaphor for the title of a memoir he wrote a few years back, “Lucky Bounce.” Neither he nor Petersen could have attained the heights they have without a few lucky bounces along the way.
I wish them a few more after they leave their respective fields of endeavor and walk out the door.
Matt Misterek has been a News Tribune editor since 2003 and the editorial page editor since 2016. Reach him at (253) 597-8472 or by email at matt.misterek@thenewstribune.com
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 6:30 AM.