Jesse Young: Temperamental legislator unfit to serve

Re: “’It’s humiliating,’” (TNT, 4/23).

Kudos to The News Tribune and reporter Walker Orenstein for exposing Rep. Jesse Young’s pattern of abusive behavior toward state House staffers.

It’s unfortunately clear that Young lacks the temperament to supervise the staff provided to him by the taxpayers of Washington. As a former legislative assistant for that 26th District House seat during Patricia Lantz’s term, I can assure you the House administration would not take over the responsibility for legislative staff supervision unless there were serious problems with the House member.

Young’s abusive behavior and anger management issues are a disgrace to the seat, and I am ashamed he’s representing this district in the Legislature. The people he is mistreating are state employees; have we learned nothing after former County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam?

Aside from the uncivilized behavior we’re passively endorsing by keeping Young in office, can we really afford another string of disgruntled government employees? How much is it going to cost us this time?

If Young were behaving like this in business, he would’ve been fired long ago or forced to take anger management training.

I call on him to resign. He is clearly unfit to represent us.

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Jesse Young: Temperamental legislator unfit to serve."