Both Reed and Sonntag, who had experience in county courthouses before stepping up to state service, have announced that they will not seek re-election in 2012.
The announcements are a bit of a surprise because both men still have their health and have been vigorous and engaged political leaders. They’ve earned a restful and rewarding retirement where they can spend time with family members and spoil their grandchildren.
Reed, who turned 70 last January, leaves behind a legacy of fairness, impartiality and civility. There were times when Reed, the state’s chief elections officer, had a bigger target on his back from his fellow Republicans than opposition Democrats.
Thurston County residents know Reed well. He served six terms as county auditor before leaving the bluff overlooking Capitol Lake for an office under the Legislative dome on the Capitol Campus.
Reed cut his political teeth with a group of like-minded moderate Republicans such as former Gov. Dan Evans, former Secretary of State Ralph Munro and former Lt. Gov. Joel Pritchard. They were often at odds with the conservative members of the GOP.
At every turn, Reed has been a pioneer. Whether it was paving the way for local voter pamphlets at Thurston County or leading this state to all-mail elections, Reed has been an innovator.
He was unafraid to go toe-to-toe with powerful political party leaders – both Democrat and Republican. That trait was no better exemplified than his battle all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of Washington’s so-called “top two” primary in which the top two vote getters in the primary election advance to the November general election, regardless of political party.
It’s an electoral system the voters love, but the party hacks hate. Reed sided with voters and prevailed at the highest court in the land.
That’s not to say it was always smooth sledding for Reed as secretary of state. The 2004 gubernatorial election, the closest in state history, proved to be a nightmare. The extremely tight race between Republican Dino Rossi and Democrat Chris Gregoire exposed a number of flaws – mostly human errors – in the electoral process and how ballots are tallied. It was the catalyst for multiple statewide election reforms and the switch from punch-card to optical scan ballots in this county.
Reed insisted on following the law, and after multiple ballot counts, his results were certified as correct by a Superior Court judge. That decision ended the ballot counting, but not the ballot tabulation controversy.
Impartiality and fairness have been hallmarks of Reed’s tenure along with a dedication to improvements in the electoral system and advocacy on behalf of voters.
Sam Reed has not sought out the spotlight. He’s been a subdued public servant, quietly working behind the scenes but always putting the public first.
The same thing can be said of Sonntag, who will turn 60 before his retirement date. He will have served five terms – 20 years – as state auditor following two terms as Pierce County auditor and two terms as Pierce County clerk.
Again, it’s been a long, stellar career of public service.
Citizens who want to pry open the doors of a too-secret government and residents who want to force public officials to turn over public documents have no greater friend in Washington state than Brian Sonntag. On the challenging issues of open public meetings and open public records, Sonntag has been an outspoken advocate for openness, transparency and accountability.
For years and years – way ahead of the other politicians in this state – Sonntag lobbied for authority to do performance audits.
His office has done a terrific job on financial audits for state agencies, county and city government, school districts and other government entities. The auditors have rooted out fraud and dollars misspent, and reported their findings back to the public in reports that can be easily read and understood.
The challenge has been getting performance audit authority – where auditors look at how the money is being spent and whether there are ways to do it cheaper and with more efficiency.
Sonntag pushed and pushed and finally got a bill passed by the Legislature, only to have former Gov. Gary Locke veto it.
Sonntag then threw his support behind a citizens’ initiative that brought performance audits to this state in 2005. It was a huge victory for Sonntag and for the citizens of this state.
Sonntag, like Reed, is going out while on top. They still have 15 months remaining in their terms, and we’re convinced they will work hard and earn additional praise. The citizens of this state owe both men an enormous amount of gratitude for their honest and trustworthy stewardship of their cherished public offices. They have served with distinction and honor.
